Description
Presented by RI Elder Info.
Join RI Elder Info for "Guardianship & Alternatives for Older Adults: Decisions, Dignity & Choice", a full-day professional conference exploring person-centered decision-making for older adults with cognitive impairment.
Experts from legal services, healthcare, advocacy, aging services and federal programs will address Supported Decision-Making, decision-making ability, alternatives to guardianship, individual rights and practical resources.
Agenda Topics:
Understanding Capacity & Decision-Making — Dr. John Stoukides
Cognitive impairment, decision-making ability, and assessment.
Supporting the Right to Decide — Disability Rights Rhode Island
Supported Decision-Making, individual rights, and less restrictive alternatives.
When Legal Authority Is Needed — Rhode Island Legal Services, Attorney Steve Bagian
Guardianship, legal standards, powers of attorney, and alternatives.
From the Bench: What Probate Courts Need from the Community — Probate Judge Tracy Loignon
A probate judge's perspective and how professionals, families, and community organizations can help improve the process.
When There Is No One to Serve — Office of Healthy Aging, Volunteer Guardianship Program, Sheila DiVincenzo
Options and challenges when an individual needs assistance but has no appropriate family member or other person available.
Rights Don’t End at the Nursing Home Door — State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Lori Light
Resident rights, autonomy, guardianship, and decision-making in long-term care.
Mental Health, Rights & Guardianship: Where the Systems Intersect — Rhode Island Mental Health Advocate, Meg Clingham, Esquire
The intersection of guardianship, behavioral health, civil rights, and legal protections.
Representative Payees: Authority, Responsibilities & Limits — Social Security Administration, Gerald Mirabile
What a representative payee can and cannot do, and how representative payees differ from guardians and agents under powers of attorney.
VA Benefits & Fiduciary Oversight: Understanding the Federal System — Veterans Benefits Administration
How the VA fiduciary program works, when it applies, and how it differs from court-appointed guardianship.
What the Data Tells Us — and Where Rhode Island Goes Next — Deb Burton, MS, RI Elder Info
Rhode Island guardianship data, gaps identified through RI Elder Info's research, and opportunities for reform that strengthen accountability while preserving autonomy, dignity, and choice.
Lunch provided
Tickets $75