Decision Making Tools Across the Lifespan
Presented by: Moderator Melissa Lang, Agency on Aging of South Central CT; Jennifer Herbst, Quinnipiac University School of Law; Gabrielle Labonte, Northeast Probate Court; Stephen Keogh, Keogh.Law; Gretchen Knauff, City of New Haven, Disability Services.
Across all settings, patients often need help assessing and understanding the various levels of decision-making authority and ensuring documents are accessible to those who need them. This presentation will provide a foundational understanding to help community professionals enhance their knowledge.
Decision-making in healthcare is influenced by setting, cognitive status, and legal preparation. In the community, individuals are generally assumed to have decision-making capacity, with choices supported by family and primary care providers. Early conversations and advance care planning are critical, especially as dementia may subtly impair understanding and judgment over time. Supported Decision-Making is a viable alternative to guardianship. The concept allows individuals with disabilities to make choices about their own lives with support from a team of people they choose to assist in their journey.
Advance directives, while primarily associated with end-of-life situations, include core documents such as Health Care Proxy and Medical Powers of Attorney. They are also frequently used in non-end-of-life circumstances, since they become effective whenever a patient becomes incapacitated or is temporarily unable to communicate their own medical decisions.
This session explores the decision-making and documents required at various milestones and placements both outside of and within the community.
Panelist Bios
Jen Herbst
Quinnipiac University School of Law
Professor of Law and Medical Sciences
Jennifer L. Herbst is a professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she teaches health law, bioethics, public health law, and related subjects. She also serves as a volunteer community member on the adult and pediatric ethics committees at Yale New Haven Hospital. Her research focuses on the intersection of health, ethics, equity, and law, with numerous publications in leading academic journals. Before joining Quinnipiac in 2011, she practiced health care law in Philadelphia, representing hospitals, health care providers, and pharmaceutical companies. She holds degrees from Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University Beasley School of Law, and Duke Divinity School.
Gabriele Labonte
CT Probate Courts
Northeast District Judge
Gabrielle Labonte is the sitting Probate Judge for the Northeast District, covering the towns of Ashford, Brooklyn, Eastford, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson, and Woodstock. For over 30 years, before being elected, she was in private practice in Brooklyn, Connecticut, focusing on the areas of elder law, estate planning, Medicaid, and probate. Active in the community, Judge Labonte is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Senior Resources in Norwich, CT, a member of the Pomfret 250 Commission, and a member of the Deborah Avery Putnam Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Judge Labonte has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut in Storrs and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University School of Law in Boston.
Stephen Keogh
Keogh Law
Principal
Stephen B. Keogh is the principal of Keogh Law in Norwalk, where he has practiced since 1985, focusing on elder law, trusts and estates, long-term care and special needs planning, conservatorships, probate litigation, and healthcare decision-making. A graduate of Yale College and Columbia Law School, he brings more than 40 years of experience in elder law and is a frequent presenter on Medicaid, elder law, and healthcare decision-making. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and teaches in the Elder Law Clinic at UConn School of Law as adjunct faculty.
Gabriele Labonte
CT Probate Courts
Northeast District Judge
Gretchen is the Director of the Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities for the City of New Haven Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities. A longtime disability rights advocate, she previously held leadership roles with the Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and helped establish Disability Rights Connecticut, serving as its first Executive Director. Gretchen frequently presents on disability rights topics, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Supported Decision-Making, and serves on several Connecticut boards. She is dedicated to advancing the civil and human rights of people with disabilities and fostering inclusive communities where everyone belongs.
