ST. LOUIS – The most vulnerable citizens will continue slipping through the cracks unless the community takes action, according to a man appointed as guardian in hundreds of special needs cases.
“What we’ve dealt with lately is a full-on crisis in Missouri. This is something that for the last two years, since I was appointed public administrator, I’ve been doing my best to sound the alarm to try to let people know that these people need more help than what we can give them in this office,” St. Louis County Public Administrator Timothy Weaks said.
Weaks says his staff has three deputies and three staff members to oversee 700 guardianship cases.
“The last two years, we’ve seen an increase in younger individuals for whom we’re appointed. These are not your typical nursing home clientele,” he added.
The U.S. Department of Justice released a report criticizing Missouri’s response to mentally disabled adults this month, saying the state repeatedly fails to provide community-based mental health services and instead unnecessarily relies on nursing facilities.
The Department of Justice adds that it found 6,179 adults with mental health disabilities in Missouri’s nursing facilities for 100+ days.
“There are just not enough community services to help these folks,” Weaks said.
On Thursday, Weaks appeared in federal court to defend a now-deceased elderly client who had fallen victim to a scammer. The victim’s friends were devastated after having lost touch with her during the pandemic.
“It’s very sad that people get taken advantage of when they get to be older, disabled, whatever their situation is,” Sharon Pacie said.
Loretta Pritt added, “We need someone to stick up for the older people to be there when they need help.”
Weaks was appointed guardian after the victim had already lost her money in the fraud—a sign there could be untold others falling through the cracks.
“There’s probably plenty more victims out there,” Weaks said.
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