Ask HRC: Family Engagement and Advance Decision Making

A Healthcare Risk Control (HRC) member recently asked for help addressing situations in which a patient becomes incompetent and a previously uninvolved or unknown family member suddenly wants to make decisions for him or her, or the individual has no family and public guardianship is not an option. The question was asked in regard to a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, but the considerations discussed here apply across many settings.

To address situations like these, and as a general practice to prevent other risk management conflicts, HRC suggests encouraging advance directives and getting family involved as soon as possible. Generally, some steps to...