Upcoming conference on health care decision-making for the unbefriended

May 6-7, 2008
The Patient Alone: Making Health Care Choices for Patients Without  Surrogates
American Health Decisions
Boston, MA

There is a persistent problem of deciding what to do on behalf ofpatients who are incapacitated (or soon will be) and have no availablesurrogate. Responses to the problem include court appointedguardianship, public guardian programs, surrogate decision makingcommittees, institutional and system-wide policies and protocols, aswell as ad-hoc decision making by persons without legal authority todecide for patients.

The problem exists among “unbefriended elders;” returning andtroubled veterans estranged from family and friends; emancipated minorswith dependency problems; persons with mental illness or developmentaldisabilities; people whose physical disabilities or native languagemakes communication difficult and erroneously raises a presumption ofincapacity; and others.

This non-profit conference seeks to explore the responses to date,and to move the discussion forward. We especially encourageparticipation by clinicians, administrators, attorneys and others whowish to collaborate with colleagues to ensure more effective strategieson this interdisciplinary issue.

Faculty: Dan Brock, PhD; Lori Cappello Dangberg;Tom Fisher, MS, LNHA; Robert D. Fleischner, JD; Lachlan Forrow, MD;Muriel R. Gillick, MD; Alice Herb, JD, LLM; Bruce Jennings, MA; MicheleKarel, PhD; Naomi Karp, JD; Zita Lazzarini, JD, MPH; Jane E. Mendez,MD; Jennifer Moye, PhD; Robert D. Orr, MD; Charles P. Sabatino, JD;Mildred Z. Solomon, EdD; Gary Stein, MSW, JD; Pamela B. Teaster, PhD;Erica F. Wood, JD

For complete information and registration on line, see: www.ahd.org.

Contact: David B. Clarke, DMin,  JD, MPH, Massachusetts  Health Decisions, 781.784.1966