Canada’s population is aging, and issues of concern to older adults will have growing implications for medical and legal practice. Explore topics such as the demographics of aging in Canada, the spectrum of cognitive changes in older adults from normal aging through to advanced dementia, how multi-morbidity, polypharmacy, and frailty interact with cognition, and possible implications for legal practice. This on-demand program was originally presented as an in-person program titled Practice Foundations: Adult Guardianships and Trusteeships on May 28, 2024.  Total running time is 1 hour.

More and more, people are losing capacity without doing estate planning, precipitating the need for guardianship and trusteeship for their affairs to be managed. Further, the rise in young adults who require extra help, but not full guardianship and trusteeship, has led to an increase in supported decision-making as the Act allows for more dignity to the adult who may not have full capacity. This program explores foundational topics designed to support practitioners who want to start doing AGTA work or who want to revisit the basics. These on-demand programs were originally presented on May 28, 2024. The total running time for each presentation ranges between 1 hour to 1 hour, 28 minutes.

Canada’s population is aging, and issues of concern to older adults will have growing implications for medical and legal practice. This paper discusses the demographics of aging in Canada; explores the spectrum of cognitive changes in older adults from normal aging through to advanced dementia; introduces how multi-morbidity, polypharmacy, and frailty interact with cognition; and considers possible implications for legal practice. This paper is part of a collection presented at LESA’s Practice Foundations: Adult Guardianships and Trusteeships program in Edmonton on May 28, 2024.