Introduction

Few life issues are more troubling to older adults than the fear of loss of self-determination; or more troubling to their adult children than fear for their loved one’s safety. Supported decision-making can help find a balance between autonomy and protection.

For this thought experiment, consider something you ate yesterday.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What did you decide to eat? Why?
• Where did you decide to eat? Why?
• When did you decide to eat? Why?
• Who did you decide to eat with? Why?

From this simple exercise, you can begin to see that even the simplest choice often has many other decisions associated with it. For someone with cognitive decline, these decisions can be overwhelming. Simple choices may be too complex to even think through.

Imagine you are unable to make even the simplest decision. How might you engage others to help you make choices about what's important to you?

Every day, every one of us makes about 35,000 decisions, and some people in your care need support to help make those decisions.

Through supported decision-making, persons with disabilities use friends, family members, and professionals to help them understand situations and choices they face. They make their decisions without the need for a guardian.