What happens when someone you love can’t make decisions for themselves anymore? Maybe your aging father in Salmon is showing signs of dementia and can no longer manage his affairs. Or your niece in Nez Perce needs a safe and stable home while her parents sort through a difficult time. These are the moments when guardianship can become part of your story—and Alan R. Harrison Law is here to help you understand what that means.
Guardianship is a legal arrangement where a court appoints someone, often a family member or close friend, to make decisions for another person who can’t do so on their own. That person might be a minor child, an adult with developmental delays or significant mental health challenges, or an aging parent who’s become mentally or physically incapacitated.
Whether you’re in Mountain Home, Pocatello, or Lewiston, the basic rights and responsibilities of a guardian remain the same, but how you go about filing and what’s required can vary slightly by district.
When the court names you as a guardian, they’re trusting you to act with care, responsibility, and honesty. That means:
Making decisions about health care – Like choosing between treatments or approving a surgery..
Determining where the person lives – Whether they stay in their current home in Sandpoint or move to a supportive facility near Nampa.
Advocating for their best interests – This could mean enrolling a teenager in school in Meridian or making sure an adult in Coeur d’Alene gets proper care and services.
Guardians of adults don’t oversee the person’s money or property—they manage decisions for their safety and well-being. If finances need to be handled, a conservator may also be appointed (and in some cases, you might serve both roles). Guardians of minor children are able to act as a parent, with the duty to manage both health and safety decisions as well as most financial choices.
Filing for guardianship usually starts with a petition in the district court where the person in question lives. If your adult sibling in Rigby needs a guardian due to a long-term illness, we’ll help you file in Jefferson County (part of the 7th Judicial District). If your cousin in Hailey is concerned about their child’s safety, the process would begin in Blaine County (part of the 5th Judicial District).
At Alan R. Harrison Law, we guide you through every step—filling out the forms, understanding your duties, showing up for the hearing, and answering the court’s questions. We’ve helped families from rural towns like Arco and Preston all the way to cities like Boise and Lewiston.
We guide Idaho families through every type of guardianship. For minor guardianships, Idaho courts do allow parents or relatives to file without an attorney by using the “Minor Guardianship” forms and instructions available on the state’s iCourt website. Even so, some families choose to work with our office to make sure the process is handled smoothly and that their loved one’s needs are fully protected.
Maybe you were appointed years ago and now you're facing new challenges—like how to transition guardianship to a younger family member in Grangeville, or how to make end-of-life care decisions in Blackfoot. It’s okay to ask for help.
We can review your case, explain your legal obligations, and update any documents as needed.
Whether you’re just starting to think about guardianship or already involved and unsure what to do next, we’re here to walk alongside you. At Alan R. Harrison Law, we listen first, explain clearly, and work with you to build a plan that supports the people you care about most.
We’re happy to sit down with you, answer your questions, and talk through your options—at your pace, and on your terms.
.jpg)
