A Region mother and daughter are the latest individuals who will serve as court-appointed guardians to assist the elderly and incapacitated adults with decision making in Lake County Superior Courts.
Dr. Sylvia Monagan of Munster, and her daughter, Tabetha Monagan of East Chicago, were sworn in on Feb. 12 at Lake Superior Court by Probate Commissioner Ben Ballou. The Monagans are volunteers for Franciscan Health Hammond’s Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults (VASIA) organization.
“What you do is beyond reproach, something that is vastly needed in our community,” Ballou said of the VASIA program.
The program was the idea and launched in 2001 by Tom Gryzbek, who was president of Franciscan’s Hammond hospital at that time. VAISA is a collaborative effort between Franciscan Health Hammond and Lake County Superior Courts.
Sylvia Monagan, who retired five years ago, said God called her to minister for the homeless, which led her to work as a case manager for Grace Beyond Borders NWI Inc. Tabetha Monagan works in Chicago for the American Medical Association and shares her mother’s passion for volunteer work.
Volunteers complete a 40-hour training program and serve as a limited guardian for one case at a time.
