How can we obtain guardianship over my mentally ill mother?

You Hello! My mother lives in Charlotte, NC and is bi polar and suffers from schizophrenia. She can cook and clean for herself but has not been to the doctor in over 10 years. She now has a chronic cough and her leg has swollen do much she cannot walk on it. She has become a recluse and barely leaves her home and her apartment is starting to look like a hoarder’s home. My older brother whom lives in Charlotte is going to petition for conservatorship to get her the medical help she desperately needs. Is there any tips for us when we plea our case?