Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Imagine being unable to make decisions about your money. For many Canadians, particularly older adults, living with a mental health disorder, this is the reality. When individuals struggle to manage money due to mental health or age-related symptoms, healthcare professionals can assess their "financial capacity," and remove control of a person's finances to protect them from harm using provincial and territorial laws. This leads to loss of freedom and questions of who will manage the person's finances, potentially frustrating for individuals and caregivers. This is concerning as questions around financial capacity tend to increase as people age. The problem is that financial capacity laws are complex and vary by province, making it difficult for healthcare professionals to know the "when, what, and how" of assessment while respecting individual rights. This study will explore Canadian financial capacity laws, healthcare professionals' roles in assessment, and the impact of assessment. Key questions include: How do healthcare professionals determine financial capacity while balancing rights and safety, how might factors such as aging influence assessment, and how can assessment be improved? To answer these questions, I will compare all Canadian capacity laws, followed by a case study of three provinces: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. I will analyze the provincial laws focusing on potential injustices and their effect on how healthcare professionals do financial capacity assessments. I will then interview healthcare professionals from the three provinces about their assessments and challenges they face. Finally, I will lead focus groups with healthcare professionals to discuss how laws influence practice and ideas for improvements. Based on all results, I will create recommendations for improving financial capacity assessment in Canada, focusing on human rights of adults living with a mental health disorder and specific issues older adults may experience.