My Plan to Protect: Pocket Guide of Best Practices for Vulnerable Adult Programing

Plan to Protect®: Pocket Guide of Best Practices for Vulnerable Adult Programming

ISBN: 978-1-4866-1004-4

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4866-2041-8

Copyright ©2016 by Plan to Protect®

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be photocopied, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from Plan to Protect®.

Plan to Protect®

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Published by Word Alive Press

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The development, preparation of this work has been undertaken with great care. However, the publisher, editors, employees and agents of Plan to Protect® are not responsible for any errors contained herein or for consequences that may ensue from use of materials or information contained in this work. This Pocket Guide is not a policy, but rather recognized best practices. It is only current as the date of the publication and does not reflect subsequent changes in law. This Pocket Guide is distributed with the understanding that it does not constitute legal advice.

Organizations and agencies are strongly encouraged to seek legal counsel as well as counsel from their insurance company who can give written opinion concerning the specifics of their particular situation when establishing policy.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak

for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)

I am so grateful for the friends and colleagues I have who are wonderful advocates for vulnerable adults. There are many who have inspired me to care for the vulnerable adults in our midst, including Margaret McLaren, Heidi Bevin, Tom McCormick and the staff and Board members of Restore Canada. Thank you for your relentless care and passion for the elderly, vulnerable adults and the marginalized.

I would like to thank Cynthia Tam, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and Sarah Chaudhery, O.T. Reg. (Ont.), for their contributions to making this Pocket Guide possible. Your knowledge, experiences, and passions are such valuable assets and we are so grateful for your investment of time and energy to help make this project possible.

This Plan to Protect® Pocket Guide for Vulnerable Adults is created in memory of my grandmother Adele Berner and dedicated to my mother-in-law Patricia Bissell. My grandmother had dementia, and in the last few years of her life she encountered many fears. We would talk through the terror she felt and experienced in the institution where she lived. She would beg me to protect her from people that were hurting her. At the time, I was naive