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State advocacy attorney highlights hospice rights, guardianship concerns and housing protections for older Nevadans
Summary
The state attorney for the rights of older persons outlined new hospice-patient protections (AB161), a public awareness law for long-term care planning (AB461), and flagged housing loss and power-of-attorney abuse as top legal priorities for elders, especially in rural areas.
Nevada’s attorney for the rights of older persons told the Silverhaired Legislative Forum that legal gaps — particularly around hospice practices, guardianship and eviction/housing loss — are growing priorities for the state’s aging-law work.
"One of the biggest concerns is to prevent the loss of housing during and after a hospitalization or extended rehabilitation stay," Shauna Brennan said, explaining that older adults can return home to unpaid bills, a depleted checkbook or a residential situation that jeopardizes their housing stability.
Legal actions and new duties: Brennan described two recent legislative changes. Assembly Bill 161 added hospice-related requirements including written patient-rights notices and conflict-of-interest disclosures; Brennan said the notices will be distributed through outreach channels and that adult protective services will triage care-level complaints for followup. Assembly Bill 461 charged ADSD with a public-awareness program and long-term care planning resources (No Wrong Door) to help residents better plan and avoid crises.
Guardianship, power-of-attorney and rural access: Brennan discussed guardianship statutory reforms and new oversight mechanisms, but warned that rural areas still lack consistent legal representation and that legal-aid funding gaps make complex civil cases (for example, landlord/tenant disputes involving vulnerable elders) difficult to pursue. She urged expanded pro bono participation from private practitioners and increased coordination among legal-service providers.
What the forum asked: Members asked about guardianship procedures, remote hearings, and how a person can document preferences to prevent improper confinement or abuse by a guardian. Brennan said courts now require clearer reporting and oaths from prospective guardians, and that the office can serve as a friend-of-the-court amicus in selected cases or provide technical legal assistance to local practitioners and agencies.
Next steps: Brennan said her office will provide targeted materials (including a newly issued patient-rights sheet for hospice settings) to legal service providers, ombudsmen and community partners and will continue to seek better outcome-tracking across enforcement systems to understand whether complaints advance to civil or criminal remedies.
