The MBA is proud to recognize the work of our project partners, the Volunteers of America’s Estate and Elder Law Services and the Center for Excellence in Supported Decision-Making, in their expansion of direct legal services to older Minnesotans and the work they are doing to increase the understanding and use of Supported Decision Making throughout Minnesota.
Supported Decision Making is a recognized alternative to guardianship which recognized that a team of supporters can help an individual in need of support by making decisions with that individual, rather than for that individual. In 2021, with funding from the MBA, the Center for Excellence in Supported Decision Making developed an published a best practices manual on decisional supports called, Best Practices in Supported Decision-Making, How to Be an Effective Supporter.
These project partners provide free and sliding scale legal assistance for Minnesotans and their supportive networks who need assistance in planning for the future, including establishing health care directives, power of attorney forms, wills, trusts and more. In addition, Estate and Elder Law Services attorneys offer mentorship and consultation to legal services attorneys or pro bono attorneys taking approved cases through legal services organizations. For more information on the work of the Center for Excellence in Supported Decision Making, or Estate and Elder Law Services, please visit their websites. For more information on Guardianship Alternatives or Supported Decision making, take a look at the Whiteboard videos created by CESDM and EELS, and made possible through Minnesota Board on Aging funding.
