The Government Law Center at Albany Law School has released the first four publications in its explainer series on Aging and Disability Law for state and local policy makers.

The publications include:

• “Healthcare Proxies: Appointing People with the Power to Make Healthcare Decisions for Others” by Rose Mary Bailly, an adjunct professor and special consultant to the Institute for Aging and Disabilities Law of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.

• “‘Act Now’ Healthcare Proxies” by Paul Kietzman, of counsel at Barclay Damon, LLP, and a member of the Government Law Center Advisory Board.

• “Hospital Ethics Committees” by Cassandra Rivais DiNova, an associate at Rivkin Radler LLP.

• “The New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs” by Rose Mary Bailly.

The GLC’s first new publication describes how patients can plan achieving their desired medical treatment even if they lose decision-making capacity by executing a health care proxy which authorizes their agent to act on the incapable patient's behalf.

The “‘Act Now’ Healthcare Proxies” explainer describes how the "act now" healthcare proxy differs from a traditional health care proxy, the policy behind the 2008 law that created the system, and the reasons why the long-delayed project should be undertaken. 

The third explainer provides historical background on the creation of hospital ethics committees and explains their role in hospitals today.

The final publication describes the scope of the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs’ authority to respond to allegations of abuse, neglect, and other significant incidents that occur in hundreds of programs operated, licensed, or certified by six New York State agencies.   

“These explainers provide accessible information about the legal protections for vulnerable older adults and individuals with disabilities, two groups making up a significant part of our communities.  It’s something that touches us all, because it’s very likely someone we are close to falls into one of these groups,” said Bailly. “Throughout its history, the Government Law Center has focused on providing law and policy makers with options for reforming existing laws and designing new ones.  Our Aging and Disability Law explainer series is our latest contribution to helping meet the needs of this growing and diverse population.”

The Government Law Center helps state and local governments better serve their communities while training the next generation of leaders in public service. We are a diverse and inclusive group of practitioners, students, and scholars working together to produce high-quality, reliable, nonpartisan legal research and analysis.

The Government Law Center Aging and Disability Explainer Series is designed to help policymakers and others understand the complex laws relating to older adults and people with disabilities.