Welcome!
This app will assist, inform and equip you or the person you support with various options to consider when making healthcare decisions without the need to appoint a guardian for an adult.
A guardian can only be appointed by a court and should only be used as a last resort because it is the most restrictive form of substitute decision-making. Guardianship strips an individual of the right to make important life decisions.
This app will ask a series of questions and your answers will guide you through different options. Based on your answers, the app will give you information and options for the healthcare decisions that need to be made, which will depend on whether the person in need of treatment has a developmental or intellectual disability, age-related dementia, or mental health challenges.
The app also gives definitions to help clarify some important terms. In some question prompts, links are provided to connect you to helpful resources with more information.
Please keep in mind that the information provided in this app is not a substitute for legal advice from a licensed attorney.
This app is based on New York law and should not be used if you or the person you support does not reside in New York.
About this App
This guided interview app was created by the Disability and Aging Justice Clinic at CUNY School of Law in collaboration with Community Lawyer.
This app was made by Legal Interns Nicholas Circharo, Emma Mendelson, Justine Ortiz and Christian Rodriguez as part of a project with Supported Decision Making New York.
All rights reserved, do not copy or use without permission of Professor Joe Rosenberg, CUNY School of Law, 2 Court Square, LIC, NY 11101; joe.rosenberg@law.cuny.edu
Privacy and Security
The creators of this guided interview and the administrators of this website are committed to your security and protecting your privacy and do not share any data or responses with third parties, including government agencies.
While using this app, you are permitted to select any answer choice to support you to make the best decision for you or the person you support. While responding to each "yes or no" question, your responses will not be stored or saved.
If you have no other alternative but to ask a court to approve a healthcare decision, we give you the option of putting in personal information into Court documents. If you save your answers in that part of the interview, your information remains private and secure. The only exceptions are: your saved information can be viewed by the administrator of your guided interview and by the developers at Community Lawyer. Community Lawyer will only use your information for necessary technical troubleshooting and repair.
Even if you choose to "save and continue" your interview, the information is automatically deleted within 30 days.