Practice Resources
Decision-Making Capacity Assessment
Decision-Making Capacity Assessment
What is Decision-Making Capacity?
It’s all about making decisions! Having capacity means you can understand information important for making a decision and can appreciate the consequences of that decision. When making a decision, an adult should be able to:
- Take in key information,
- Think about the pros and cons
- Make a decision, based on his/her values
It is assumed that all adults have capacity to make their own decisions. Capacity assessment is a process used to determine whether an adult is still able to make his/her own decisions. There must be proof that the capacity assessment is needed and the adult needs someone else to help make decisions.
Capacity is NOT a medical diagnosis, and it is NOT determined by performance in daily tasks. Making a risky decision, or a decision others do not agree with, does not necessarily mean that the adult lacks capacity.
It is possible to have capacity to make certain types of decisions but not others. For example, an adult may have capacity to choose where to live, but not have capacity to manage his/her money. If an adult does not have capacity, steps can be taken to help them make decisions. Capacity can fluctuate over time.
Education
Covenant Health and The Social Work Provincial Professional Practice Council have created a comprehensive online course on Decision-Making and Capacity comprised of 12 lessons. This course is relevant and appropriate for all interdisciplinary team members across the care continuum and across service sectors.
Click the Learning Resources link below to access each of the 12 lessons and the final assessment that make up the online Decision-Making Capacity Assessment course. Please take the lessons in the order presented as material builds on that presented in previous lessons.
It is important to finish the lesson you are taking prior to exiting as your progress throughout the course will be lost. Please take a screen shot of the completed exam, and optionally you can take a screen shot of the summary slide of each lesson to show that you have completed that lesson. Once you have completed all elements of the course, print off the certificate and have it signed by your manager/educator as confirmation of completion.
- Lesson 1 - Introduction to Decision-Making Capacity
- Lesson 2 - Understanding Decision-Making Capacity
- Lesson 3 - Personal Directive Act
- Lesson 4 - Power of Attorney Act
- Lesson 5 - Adult Guardianship & Trusteeship
- Lesson 6 - Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Model
- Lesson 7 - Screening
- Lesson 8 - Problem Solving
- Lesson 9 - Role of the Social Worker
- Lesson 10 - Role of the Occupational Therapist
- Lesson 11 - Process Worksheet
- Lesson 12 - Capacity Interview
- Decision-Making Capacity Quiz
- Decision-Making Capacity Certificate
Additional Learning Resources
- Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee
- Information on Personal Directives
- The Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Model Toolkit is a four-part practical, evidence-informed resource that aims to offer information and resources related to DMCA best-practices and capacity-building processes, and implementation of the DMCA Model. This website is made available to all Healthcare Providers and family caregivers.
Contact
If you have questions about course content please email Covenant Health’s Capacity Assessment Resource Person at Tara.Kilkenny@covenanthealth.ca or the Practice Consultation service at practice.consultation@ahs.ca