SECTOR GUIDE
Legal and Financial Planning
Capacity for decision-making changes for people living with dementia. It is important to make legal and financial plans early in the process.
Key Ideas
People with dementia experience a progressive decline in decision-making and
personal independence. Discussions about financial matters and long-term care early in the disease process help ensure that wishes are honored.
Legal professionals who recognize and understand dementia are a vital link to resources for people with dementia and their caregivers.
What's in the Sector Guide
- Applying Basic Parameters
- What is Dementia?
- Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Interacting with People with Dementia
- Assessing Capacity
- Empowering a Person with Diminished Capacity
- Why it’s Important to Plan and Have Advance Directives
- Characterizing a Dementia Friendly Legal Professional
- Adopting Dementia Supportive Best Practices
- Resources in Your Community
Resources
Advance Care Planning
Minnesota Health Care Directive Provides a toolkit for understanding and completing health care directives, includes the legal form and an instruction worksheet.
Five Wishes This living will helps people express how they want to be treated if they are seriously ill and unable to speak for themselves. It deals with all of a person's needs: medical, personal, emotional and spiritual. Five Wishes is available in print, online, and in 26 languages and Braille.
Probate and Planning: A Guide to Planning for the Future Addresses wills, the probate process, living trusts, conservatorships, powers of attorney and health care directives.
Legal and Financial
Legal Issues and Alzheimer’s - Working with People with Dementia and Assessing Client Capacity Webinar hosted by American Bar Association and Administration for Community Living.
Assessment of Older Adults with Diminished Capacity: A Handbook for Lawyers American Bar Association and American Psychological Association offer ideas for effective practices and makes suggestions for attorneys who wish to balance the competing goals of autonomy and protection as they confront the challenges of working with older adults with diminished capacity.
Dementia Friendly Financial Services Charter Helps financial services organizations recognize, understand and respond to the needs of customers living with dementia and their carers.
Is it Dementia? Short films for staff working in transportation, retail, banking, correctional services, emergency services and fire services.
Advance Health Care and Financial Planning for Person’s with Alzheimer’s Webinar hosted by American Bar Association and Administration for Community Living.
Minnesota Adult Protection Learn the definitions of a vulnerable adult and how to report suspected maltreatment.
Additional Resources
ACT on Alzheimer's is one of a family of dementia friendly initiatives supported by:
