Slide 19: Slide Text: Decision-making rights Abuse of older women often involves violating decision-making rights All adults presumed capable Right to consent OR not consent to sex Capacity depends on the type of decision Transcript: Very violence against older women occurs because someone wrongly takes over a woman’s decision-making rights, or abuses their decision-making powers if they are a legal substitute for an older woman. These actions are sometimes an outcome of discriminatory attitudes about older women’s abilities and worth that can also be compounded by ableism, racism and other factors. Many people wrongly assume that older people don’t have the ability or right to make their own decisions. In reality most people maintain their mental capacity long into old age and often for their whole lives. The law reflects this reality. At law every adult is presumed to be capable of making all of her own decisions (for example, under the Adult Guardianship Act, Health Care Consent and Care Facility Admission Act). If a speaks with a strong accent or doesn’t speak fluent English, or if she has a disability that affects her speech, hearing, or motor ability, she may face even stronger discriminatory assumptions that she isn’t able to make decisions for herself. As a foundation, it can be very important to help a woman understand that she has the right to make her own decisions. And in situations where women are not legally capable of making certain decisions, the law still offers some protections so that decisions continue to be made in their best interests and with their known wishes in mind. Every woman is presumed to have the right to make her own decisions, such as decisions about: Where she lives What kind of health care she receives (including decisions to be put into a care home) What happens to her money or belongings What people she spends time with Who and how she has intimate relations (sex or other physical contact) It may seem overly simplistic to underscore this point, but older women may not realize they have these rights.
Slide 19: Slide Text: Decision-making rights Abuse of older women often involves violating decision-making rights All adults presumed capable Right to consent OR not consent to sex Capacity depends on the type of decision Transcript: Very violence against older women occurs because someone wrongly takes over a woman’s decision-making rights, or abuses their decision-making powers if they are a legal substitute for an older woman. These actions are sometimes an outcome of discriminatory attitudes about older women’s abilities and worth that can also be compounded by ableism, racism and other factors. Many people wrongly assume that older people don’t have the ability or right to make their own decisions. In reality most people maintain their mental capacity long into old age and often for their whole lives. The law reflects this reality. At law every adult is presumed to be capable of making all of her own decisions (for example, under the Adult Guardianship Act, Health Care Consent and Care Facility Admission Act). If a speaks with a strong accent or doesn’t speak fluent English, or if she has a disability that affects her speech, hearing, or motor ability, she may face even stronger discriminatory assumptions that she isn’t able to make decisions for herself. As a foundation, it can be very important to help a woman understand that she has the right to make her own decisions. And in situations where women are not legally capable of making certain decisions, the law still offers some protections so that decisions continue to be made in their best interests and with their known wishes in mind. Every woman is presumed to have the right to make her own decisions, such as decisions about: Where she lives What kind of health care she receives (including decisions to be put into a care home) What happens to her money or belongings What people she spends time with Who and how she has intimate relations (sex or other physical contact) It may seem overly simplistic to underscore this point, but older women may not realize they have these rights.