Description
Multidisciplinary focus groups were convened in three geographically diverse areas of Ohio to compare the application of guardianship and adult protective services interventions in the lives of vulnerable adults. The results suggest that there is general agreement in understanding the concepts of 'incapacity' and 'incompetence.' Professional differences in value orientation were found that may affect how these concepts are applied in given cases. Regional differences in modes of assessment, resource availability, and intervention style were found. A decision-making grid is presented to assist in the examination when one or both forms of involuntary intervention are appropriate.
Subject
Aged; Focus Groups; Attitude of Health Personnel; Human; Questionnaires; Descriptive Statistics; Attitude Measures; Research Instruments; Psychologists; Attitude to Aging; Guardianship; Physicians – Psychosocial Factors; Attorneys – Psychosocial Factors; Competence (Legal) – Psychosocial Factors – In Old Age; Legal – Psychosocial Factors – In Old Age; Nurses – Psychosocial Factors; Social Workers – Psychosocial Factors