Supported Decision Making and Capacity

New Zealand Dementia Foundation > Resource Hub > Supported Decision Making and Capacity
It’s important to help someone living with dementia mate wareware to get all the support that they need to make their own decisions and to protect their rights if they are being assessed for mental capacity. This July 2024 online Network hui provided an opportunity to learn more about using supported decision-making to help someone living with dementia make their own decisions and have control over the things that impact and are important to them, and how decision-making capacity is currently assessed in a legal sense.
What Is Supported Decision-Making, and How Can We Be Doing More of It?

Craig Sinclair: Presentation to Dementia Mate Wareware Network Hui June 2024

Dr Craig Sinclair explains what supported decision-making and its links with the disability rights movement and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He explores some of the national developments and research emerging in Australia.

Video Powerpoint
What Is Decision-Making Capacity, and How Do We Assess It?

Greg Young: Presentation to Dementia Mate Wareware Network Hui June 2024 

Dr Greg Young explains the history behind the concept of decision-making capacity and how it is currently viewed in Aotearoa, New Zealand law.

Video Powerpoint
Supported Decision Making Website 

Ministry of Social Development New Zealand

A webpage guide to supported decision-making covering: What is supported decision-making, responsibilities as a supporter, and aspects of supported decision -making.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

A Toolkit for Assessing Capacity

A Douglass, G Young and J McMillan, 2019 New Zealand

The purpose of this toolkit is to guide health practitioners, including doctors, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists,  and social workers, when assessing an adult’s capacity to make a decision. The toolkit provides a consistent, systematic approach to assessing capacity in the Aotearoa New Zealand healthcare setting. It covers: key practice points, how to carry out a capacity assessment, and an overview of the relevant law.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making Project 

Auckland Disability Law, 2016 New Zealand

Auckland Disability Law’s supported decision-making project offers a range of presentations from a 2016 hui, along with brochures and a poster on supported decision-making.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Your EPA Attorney’s Powers and Duties

Community Law New Zealand

A brief but clear overview of the responsibilities of acting as someone’s enduring power of attorney.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making: A Guide for People Living With Dementia, Family Members and Carers

Craig Sinclair and colleagues, Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre (Au)

This handbook focuses on how to support people living with dementia in making decisions about their lives. It is designed for people living with dementia, their family members, supporters and the broader community.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making in Aged Care: A Policy Development Guideline for Aged Care Providers in Australia. (2nd Edition)

Craig Sinclair and colleagues, Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre (Au)

This Australian resource provides evidence-based, practically focused policy guidelines for aged care providers, with tools to involve aged care residents in decisions about lifestyle activities, advance care planning, and consumer-directed care. It also includes a self-assessment audit tool, an interactive case study for staff discussion and guiding principles for policy development.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Dementia and Decision Making: A Guide for Health Care Providers

Canadian Centre for Elder Law, 2024 (Canada)

This Canadian set of resources offers guidance on how health care providers can help people living with dementia participate in decisions about their care and well-being, along with videos, flowcharts, and other reference materials.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

The La Trobe Support for Decision Making Practice Framework Learning Resource 

La Trobe University (Au)

This 6-module online learning resource is about support for decision-making.  It presents a framework to guide you through supporting people with cognitive disabilities in decision-making. Using this framework can help you to enable the people you support to exercise choice and control in their own lives.   

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making

ADA Law Community Legal Service and Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (Au)

ADA Law from Australia offers a number of resources, including videos and a guide. The Supported Decision Making guide aims to provide people and those seeking to support them with valuable information to help them continue making decisions about their own lives wherever possible. While some of the information is specific to Australia, the great benefit of this guide is that it makes complex information simple to understand,

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

What Is Supported Decision-Making, and How Can We Be Doing More of It?

Craig Sinclair: Presentation to Dementia Mate Wareware Network Hui June 2024

Dr Craig Sinclair explains what supported decision-making and its links with the disability rights movement and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He explores some of the national developments and research emerging in Australia.

Video Powerpoint
What Is Decision-Making Capacity, and How Do We Assess It?

Greg Young: Presentation to Dementia Mate Wareware Network Hui June 2024 

Dr Greg Young explains the history behind the concept of decision-making capacity and how it is currently viewed in Aotearoa, New Zealand law.

Video Powerpoint
Supported Decision Making Website 

Ministry of Social Development New Zealand

A webpage guide to supported decision-making covering: What is supported decision-making, responsibilities as a supporter, and aspects of supported decision -making.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

A Toolkit for Assessing Capacity

A Douglass, G Young and J McMillan, 2019 New Zealand

The purpose of this toolkit is to guide health practitioners, including doctors, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists,  and social workers, when assessing an adult’s capacity to make a decision. The toolkit provides a consistent, systematic approach to assessing capacity in the Aotearoa New Zealand healthcare setting. It covers: key practice points, how to carry out a capacity assessment, and an overview of the relevant law.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making Project 

Auckland Disability Law, 2016 New Zealand

Auckland Disability Law’s supported decision-making project offers a range of presentations from a 2016 hui, along with brochures and a poster on supported decision-making.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Your EPA Attorney’s Powers and Duties

Community Law New Zealand

A brief but clear overview of the responsibilities of acting as someone’s enduring power of attorney.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making: A Guide for People Living With Dementia, Family Members and Carers

Craig Sinclair and colleagues, Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre (Au)

This handbook focuses on how to support people living with dementia in making decisions about their lives. It is designed for people living with dementia, their family members, supporters and the broader community.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making in Aged Care: A Policy Development Guideline for Aged Care Providers in Australia. (2nd Edition)

Craig Sinclair and colleagues, Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre (Au)

This Australian resource provides evidence-based, practically focused policy guidelines for aged care providers, with tools to involve aged care residents in decisions about lifestyle activities, advance care planning, and consumer-directed care. It also includes a self-assessment audit tool, an interactive case study for staff discussion and guiding principles for policy development.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Dementia and Decision Making: A Guide for Health Care Providers

Canadian Centre for Elder Law, 2024 (Canada)

This Canadian set of resources offers guidance on how health care providers can help people living with dementia participate in decisions about their care and well-being, along with videos, flowcharts, and other reference materials.

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

The La Trobe Support for Decision Making Practice Framework Learning Resource 

La Trobe University (Au)

This 6-module online learning resource is about support for decision-making.  It presents a framework to guide you through supporting people with cognitive disabilities in decision-making. Using this framework can help you to enable the people you support to exercise choice and control in their own lives.   

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS

Supported Decision-Making

ADA Law Community Legal Service and Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (Au)

ADA Law from Australia offers a number of resources, including videos and a guide. The Supported Decision Making guide aims to provide people and those seeking to support them with valuable information that will enable them to continue making decisions about their own lives wherever possible. While some of the information is specific to Australia, the great benefit of this guide is that it makes complex information simple to understand,

CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS