Supported Decision Making

Supported Decision Making in Minnesota: Enhancing Autonomy & Choice for Older Adults

Supported Decision Making (SDM) is a person centered framework that enables adults- including older adults experiencing cognitive changes or decline- to make choices about their own lives with the help of trusted supporters. SDM operates with the understanding that we all rely on advice and input from trusted friends, family or professionals when making major life choices. SDM is a less restrictive alternative to guardianship, a surrogate decision-making framework where a court appointed individual makes choices for another person.

Recognizing that SDM can help older individuals maintain self-determination and improve quality of life, often by helping older adults remain safely in their preferred community setting, MBA is proud to support SDM and recognize our legal service partners and grantees who help educate older adults and their friends and families in learning about SDM options, create advance planning documents like health care directives or power of attorney forms to proactively address changes in decision making, and navigate institutional systems when decision making capacity is questioned.

In 2021, MBA supported the Center for Excellence in Supported Decision Making, a preeminent organization housed at Volunteers of America-Minnesota and Wisconsin, that operates Minnesota’s Guardianship Information Line and provides direct services to individuals, families and professionals in the form of social work navigation, consultations, and educational trainings, in the development of multiple educational videos and creation of a best practices manual on decisional supports called Best Practices in Supported Decision-Making, How to Be an Effective Supporter.

MBA and our AAA partners continue to support the expansion of SDM and less restrictive alternatives to guardianship within Minnesota. One primary way we do this is through the funding of free and low cost legal service organizations and other organizations providing education, direct service and resources to older Minnesotans and their support networks. For more information or to request information from any of these free and low-cost resources, please contact them directly:

For more information on SDM and alternatives to guardianship, take a look at the whiteboard videos created by CESDM and partners and made possible through MBA funding.