Ethical and Practical Considerations with Diminished Capacity Patients

The session focuses on ethical and practical considerations when working with patients who may have diminished capacity- a topic that crosses law, healthcare, and social services. It will differentiate between contract capacity, decisional capacity and its impact on creating and revoking advance directives.

Objectives:

• Participants will be able to distinguish between contract capacity and decisional capacity to provide informed consent
• Participants will be able to compare and contrast how an attorney determines contact capacity with how a physician determines decisional capacity
• Participants will be able to describe the different levels of decisional capacity and how to optimize capacity
• Participants will be able to describe how capacity impacts one’s ability to create and revoke a durable power of attorney for healthcare. 

Continuing education credits available: Nursing Home Administrator and Social Worker

Presenters: 

• Sarah Mollman, Associate Dean for Research/Associate Professor, SDSU
• Amanda Sedlacek, DO, MSA, FACOI, FAAHPM, Palliative Care Physician, Yankton Medical Clinic; Cameo Anders, JD, MA, CAP®, CTFA, AVP Trust Officer, Plains Commerce Bank
• Michele Snyders, MSW, CSW-PIP, APHSW-C, Hospice and Palliative Care Program Manager, SDAHO  

Presented: November 11, 2026