Professionals

EMPOWERING SERVICE PROFESSIONALS THROUGH SUPPORTED DECISION MAKING

Patient or client centered care

When working with patients or clients with disabilities, service professionals (in healthcare, legal, or social service agencies) are in the unique positions to provide optimal care that maxmizes thier dignity and autonomy.

Preservation of legal capacity is important.

This Toolkit explores resources for Supported Decision Making for professionals in healthcare, legal, and social service agenices.

It may be useful to read the Decision Maker toolkit before starting this one.

Professionals Toolkit

Healthcare providers are tasked with a wide variety of care for their patients. Overseeing all of these treatments and care options is the consent and respect they have from those they serve. Yet when it comes to people with disabilities – often their say in their own healthcare is overshadowed by the voices of those around them.

As a Healthcare provider, you are in a unique position to help those with Disabilities utilize the fullness of their decision-making skills. Yet you may find that this is a challenging field to navigate as you work with people are under guardianship, who have a POA, or utilizes the Supported Decision Making process.

Understanding the difference between these options is important for medical professionals when the capacity of a patient is called into question.

 

 

Healthcare providers treat individuals from diverse backgrounds with a range of abilities. This leaves them in the unique position of both providing the best care possible while respecting their patient’s autonomy and dignity of choice.

This can be more complicated when a patient with a disability is under guardianship, has a POA, or utilizes the Supported Decision Making process.

Understanding the difference between these options is important for medical professionals when the capacity of a patient is called into question.

 

As a X professional, you do these things. They serve a diverse groups. When it comes to disabilties – this can be complicated.

There are already porsedurces in place in your profession. But a newer opetion, SPDM, is upcoming. But there arn’t many resources in place. SDM is good for reasons. Here are some related to X prfession.

 

 

Legal professionals serve a diverse client base, representing individuals from various backgrounds and with different needs and abilities. In your practice, you may encounter a wide range of legal situations involving people with disabilities and their decision making powers. These can include working with clients who have guardianships, powers of attorney, legal agreements, or newer options like supportive decision-making.

As a legal professional, you are in a unique position to advise clients on their rights and options for making important life decisions. You can help promote self-determination and autonomy while ensuring your clients’ legal interests are protected. Supported Decision-Making offers a pathway to ensuring informed legal choices and positive outcomes without infringing on a person’s rights.

Social services professionals work with a diverse range of individuals, supporting people from various backgrounds and with different needs and abilities. In your role, you may encounter a variety of situations involving decision-making support. These can include working with clients who have formal guardianships, informal family care arrangements, case management services, or emerging options like supportive decision-making agreements.

As a social services professional, you are uniquely positioned to help clients navigate their daily lives and access essential resources. You can play a crucial role in promoting independence and self-determination while ensuring your clients receive the support they need. Supported Decision-Making offers a pathway to enhancing client autonomy and achieving positive outcomes without unnecessarily limiting a person’s rights.

About SDM PA

How do you make Decisions? Do you rely on your own experiences alone? What if you don’t know something? How do you choose what to research or even decide what questions to ask?

Instead of having to do everything alone, Supported Decision Making (SDM) gives you a more structured approach that mixes your own insights with the experience and advice of a team of people you know and trust.

Resource Center

The Resource Center includes carefully selected resources on topics related to Supported Decision Making, guardianship, and transition planning.

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decision-makers

Resources for Decision Makers using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

A collection of resources related to Augmentative and Alternative Communicaiton.

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General Supported Decision Making external resources.

More resources and links for various SDM related information

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Glossary of Common Terms

A small Glossary of Terms and Phrases you may hear around the topic of Supported Decision Making.

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