Who Should Decide?
Sep 5th, 2008 by Jeannie Krause-Taylor
I just returned from the annual state conference for the Missouri Association of Homes for the Aging (MoAHA) at the Lake of the Ozarks. I was honored to be invited as a guest speaker on the topic of Decisional Capacity - how to determine when someone is too incapacitated to be able to make their own decisions. This is a topic that often arises with older adults and people with disabilities. It is often difficult because it is subjective, and we vascillate between wanting to preserve the automony of older adults and protect them from harm.
I invite your comments on how you determine this and weigh the risks vs. benefits of these type of decisions.
