New Training Fills Crucial Need in Ever-Growing Field of Aging

Decisional capacity affects older adults in all aspects of their lives, yet the proper training to accurately and ethically assess decisional capacity is severely lacking. The Elder Education Institute steps in to fill this need, offering a new four-day training to give professionals working with older adults the tools they need to assess their clients’ decisional capacity.

King Couty Prosecution Office Senior Deputy Attorney Page Ulrey states that “an evaluation of a potential victim’s capacity by a qualified evaluator is essential to making ethical charging decisions in elder abuse cases, yet prosecutors throughout the country often lack access to evaluators who can conduct these evaluations correctly.”

The ability to provide these assessments is crucial to case management in elder abuse cases and similar situations. Lack of proper training heightens the risk of senior exploitation.

Examples of professionals who are called upon to determine if clients can assume responsibility for life decisions include:

• Social workers, licensed, mental health counselors, and therapists
• Physicians and physician assistants
• Nurses and nurse practitioners
• Occupational therapists, guardians, and case managers
• Hospitals and skilled nursing/rehab facilities
• Law enforcement

Previous trainings on the subject have been limited to 1-2 hour webinars and a specialized financial capacity assessment for psychologists. This extensive training allows participants to correctly assess decisional capacity, as well as attend to social, cultural, and mental health considerations and document assessments with proper language for psychological, legal, and judicial perspectives.

With the growing population of older adults in the United States, the need for trained specialists remains high. Participants who complete the training may be able to choose decisional capacity assessment as a sole career path or as an addendum to whatever work they already do.

“We live in an age where advances in medicine and preventative health measures have produced, for many, the miracle of longevity,” says EEI Program Manager Alison Laird Craig. “With this comes the responsibility to care for our older adults as their lives change and progress. Older adults’ specific needs are unique, and we need specialized trainings that help them thrive.”

Sessions start on Wednesday, March 5 and occur once a month for four months to accommodate the schedules of working professionals. Karin Taifour, MA, LMHC, GMHS, one of Washington’s few decisional capacity experts, leads the training. This program has been approved for 24 Continuing Education Units by the Washington Chapter NASW and this credentialing may be applicable in other states. The program is also approved for accreditation by the WMHCA for licensed mental health professionals and social workers in Washington State. Special payment options available by request. 

For more information, visit www.soundgenerations.org/eldereducationinstitute