Court documents paint a rather bleak picture of the 84-year-old woman's lonely existence.

June has Alzheimer's-related dementia.

The little pink house where she's lived for years, long since paid off, is now condemned.

A son, somewhere in Texas, may or may not be alive. She can't remember, and she hasn't talked to him for a significant period of time.

A recent fall inside her tiny north-side home left her alone, in the dark, on the floor for about two days until she could get to her telephone.

Then, Michelle Wagner stepped in. Actually, a whole bunch of people have been intervening in cases like June's, for over a year as part of a new program with the Volunteer Lawyer Program of Northeast Indiana.

Wagner serves as the director of the Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults, the idea of local attorney Steve Griebel and others on the Volunteer Lawyer Program's board of directors.

Wagner's work on June's behalf helped the woman find a healthier living environment in a nursing home. She is now receiving her medication and adequate nutrition while Wagner signs her up for Medicaid, pays her bills and works on taking care of the belongings left in her house.

When the program began, those involved expected a few clients.

But they underestimated how many people in northeast Indiana are in June's position.

Within the first seven months of the program, from June 1 to Dec. 31, the agency took more than 100 referrals. The agency had anticipated maybe 25, said Judy Whitelock, executive director of the Volunteer Lawyer Program.

Aging population

For more than 20 years, Allen Superior Court Magistrate Phillip Houk has handled almost all of the guardianship cases in Allen County.

"It shouldn't surprise us that people are taking advantage of the program," he said. "We knew there was a need out there, but we just didn't know how big a need."

Houk knows all about the aging population, fractured families and a more mobile society.

"You have fewer natural people to step into these situations for folks who need guardians," he said.

The Volunteer Lawyer's advocacy program involves local attorneys working for free and well-trained volunteers matched with the clients.

"I don't think there's any doubt that I sleep better at night knowing that we're appointing qualified individuals to take care of elderly individuals who heretofore had nobody," Houk said.

He has seen similar programs pop up over the years, but almost all were funded by grant dollars for a limited period.

One of the differences with the Volunteer Advocates program is the source of its funding, which is Indiana's Interest on Lawyers Trust Account program.

Lawyers sometimes hold money for clients for distribution at a later date. In 1997, the Indiana Supreme Court allowed those accounts to begin bearing interest, with the interest sent to the Indiana Bar Foundation to fund pro bono legal services.

That provides a constant stream of money, Houk said.

"There's no grant that's going to run out after a few years," he said. "I have a good feeling about them to be able to sustain this program."

For the long haul

Ron Brockman, 59, can barely contain his excitement about the program.

"It's a lot of fun, rewarding kind of fun," he said. "It's really something."

He believes he's genetically geared toward volunteering and being involved. So when the former Boy Scout leader heard about the program, he really couldn't help himself.

"We have this complicated mirage," Brockman said. "It's really complicated out there. So many people have no way of approaching it, nowhere to start."

Brockman, too, sees the need - brought on by the fragmentation of families and general familial dysfunction.

"People are very isolated," he said. "We're able to come in, be a friend and try to advise, and control their life a little bit for them."

About 70 percent of the referrals involve those with developmental disabilities, which officials attribute to the closing of the Fort Wayne State Developmental Center in April 2007.

As the former developmental center residents age, they need help making decisions about medical care, finances, and other issues, Wagner said.

Sometimes the guardianship cases get complicated, often when family members are involved and in disagreement about their relative's care.

If family members decline to serve as guardians, the program will take over.

They will not intervene in the family drama, but if the court appoints the program as the person's guardian, Wagner and her staff make it clear that what they decide is how it is going to be.

"Our responsibility is to the client, and we report to the court," she said.

After about 30 hours of training, the 26 volunteer advocates regularly visit with their clients, Wagner said.

Some clients, after years of isolation, find someone who cares about them for the first time in a long while, she said.

To maintain continuity with the clients, it is the program itself appointed as guardian, not the individual advocate.

"With our clients, they will be our clients until they pass away," Whitelock said. "We are there for the long haul."

rgreen@jg.net