*Editor's note: Some names have been changed to protect the individuals*

"I guess my first mistake was when I walked up to the Guardianship Services, Inc. (GSI) booth and asked about the organization," Art Thompson said with a hearty laugh. That was 12 years ago. Since that moment, Thompson has been personally involved with GSI, here in Fort Worth. He has been a volunteer for the organization, a guardian for more than 10 different individuals, and he has served as a member of the GSI board. The question was not so much of a mistake, as it was a comment that soon changed the course of his free time, and his life.
Thompson is a former president of the Fort Worth YMCA, and was visiting his company's booth at a Senior Citizen's Expo. He noticed the GSI booth, and asked about the organization and what it did for the people of Tarrant County. He was told about the service and was invited to attend an upcoming training session for new volunteers.
"I was apprehensive about getting involved, but I decided to go to the training session and see how it went," Thompson said. "The program interested me because my father had died fairly early, and my mom was alone in New York City. A neighbor of hers had begun to look after her, and I saw this as my chance to somehow pay him back."
"At first I tried to get my mom to move in with a friend, but that didn't work out," he said. "Mom wanted her privacy."
Thompson said he had to learn that sometimes younger people think they know what is best for older people, but that tends to be wrong.
His first client, Harold*, lived in filth.
"There were plates of uneaten food all over the house, "Thompson said. "I moved one plate and roaches streamed out from under it. Since I was only the legal guardian of his estate, I didn't have the right to tell him how to live, so I couldn't tell him to clean his house or bathe."
He soon learned that Harold liked to spend his money on any cause, even if it was a scam. He had paid to have his house repainted and have a new roof installed. Thompson noticed that the paint had already peeled from the wall and the shingles were attached in the wrong direction. Many times, Thompson had to fight to get back Harold's money. He soon learned that if he mentioned his attorney and his friends at the Star-Telegram, the money would soon be credited back to Harold.
Harold was also an avid gambler. When he was asked if he had ever won anything, he replied, "I won six bucks once!" Thompson was able to persuade him to go the local senior center by telling him about the daily games of bingo. Harold was very excited, and this gave Thompson the peace of mind that Harold was eating at least one good meal a day, and he was finding a social outlet. However, Harold did complain that the only prize for winning at bingo was a piece of day-old cake.
Thompson was quickly learning ways to persuade Harold to take better care of himself while also controlling his financial assets. Thompson was not only the guardian of Harold's estate, but he also grew close to him as a friend.
One day, Thompson could not reach Harold on the light-activated telephone he had devised for him. When he went to his house, he found that Harold had passed away in his bed.
Funeral arrangements had been made earlier in Harold's guardianship. Thompson and his wife attended the funeral, along with one member of the GSI staff and five of his new friends from the senior center.
Thompson talks about Harold and his other clients with a sense of reverence, humility and pride. Listening to him talk in his Texas-broken New York accent, as he sits comfortably in a green plastic chair, offers a sense of understanding about why this program is so special to him.
Through his 12 years as a guardian, Thompson has learned that there are going to be people out there who are trying to take advantage of the client. "Persuasion is the best way to get things done in the best interest of the client," he said.
In 1998, Thompson was asked to become a member of the GSI Board. His main task was to utilize his fundraising ability gained through his years as YMCA president. Most members of the board did not have guardianship experience. Thompson provided a voice on the board that focused on the best interests of the clients.
He said the most frustrating thing about being a guardian and a board member is the knowledge of the things that should be done to better help the clients, but are not possible to be executed. For example, he said he grows annoyed with the strict legality involved with being a guardian.
"As a guardian, you have to be bonded and insured by a lawyer that you will work only in the best interest of your clients," he said. Every monetary action taken has to be brought before a judge, and the attorney costs can easily deplete a person's savings. "I guess [the legality] is just a necessary evil that goes with the program," he said.
He then elaborated by saying that in order to keep the best interest of the client the main focus, all actions must be taken through the probate courts of Tarrant County. The legal record developed for the client stands as evidence of what GSI and the volunteer are doing to help the client.  Thompson explained that sometimes family members, friends or neighbors may become involved in the case and feel the guardianship is not good for the client.  The legal record can prove the good it is actually doing for the client.
Though guardianship can be a blessing for those adults who have lost the ability to care for themselves, Thompson  thinks that guardianship is terrible for someone who still has his or her full mental facilities. "I wish there were more neighbors who would help out when a person is of sound mind," he said.
There are many adults in Tarrant County that would benefit greatly from the services GSI has to offer.
Thompson said he thinks it would be great if more people in the Fort Worth area became involved with GSI. There are various levels of involvement for volunteers, from helping someone control their finances and bill payments to being a personal guardian. He said that once a volunteer gets into a pattern and becomes comfortable with his or her client, it is not a very time-consuming project and volunteering can be very rewarding.
"The hardest part is that people don't know what guardians are," Thompson said.
Anyone over the age of 21 can be trained as a guardian. The training sessions occur periodically and are held at the GSI offices at 603 W. Magnolia.  For more information contact GSI at 817-921-0499.
GSI is a non-profit organization in Fort Worth that recruits, trains and supports volunteers who serve as volunteer guardians for adults who lack the capacity to make personal and business decisions and have no family members or friends to serve in that capacity.
After 12 years and more than 10 clients, it must not have been too big of a mistake for Thompson to ask about becoming a guardian.