Jennifer Mathis's guest appearances

Jennifer Mathis

Counselor Toolbox Podcast with DocSnipes

Disability Matters

Pete the Job Guy

Psychology of Aging with Dr. Regina Koepp

Scott Cooper

Ashton Applewhite

Dan Miller

Steven Petrow

Howard Cohen

Tom Perez

Matthew Sanford

Jason McCarthy

Steve Irwin

Arlene Englander

Daniel Kaufmann

Chris Brogan

Karin Slaughter

Allison Jones

Eric Vaughn

OwlTail

#030-  Can people with dementia vote?A few weeks ago, I received an email from a listener:"Hello, Dr. Regina, I work in an assisted living facility. As the election approaches, family members of residents on memory care units have asked to have residents vote. Residents on this unit are here because they're unable to make informed decisions and don't have a grasp on reality. Also, the particular resident shows no interest in wanting to vote. It's the family that essentially wants to cast a vote for the individual, which seems unethical to me. I've tried reaching out to professional groups for some guidance to no avail. Do you have any thoughts regarding this topic? Older adults tend to vote more often and more consistently than other age groups. According to a US News Report, in 2018, 64% of adults age 65 and older voted in the November 2018 election, the best turnout of any age group. With this said, 10% of older adults, however, will experience a cognitive disorder, including a dementia disorder. It makes sense that the listener was asking the questions:Can people with dementia vote?Can people with dementia needing 24/7 care and supervision vote? Since this is such an important topic, I wanted to have the most up to date information for you, so I've invited Jennifer Mathis, Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law on the podcast to answer all of our FAQs about dementia and voting.  Here’s a sneak peek inside my interview with Jennifer Mathis:[07:41] There's a long history of voter suppression in Long Term Care Communities.Learn about this history and what we can do about it. [11:24] Jennifer discusses the history of voting fraud in the form of throwing out ballots of voters in the hospital. [15:54] Jennifer answers the question: "If my wife always voted Republican for all of her life. And I know that she would vote Republican now, can I mark Republican on the ballot for her?"[18:41] Jennifer describes the standards for voting capacity and reminds us that we have to apply to same standards to everyone. [24:38] Practically speaking: how do you help someone with dementia vote?We discuss this here. [28:22] What if the person with dementia has a legal guardian appointed by a court, can this person vote? Can the guardian vote for them? [39:19] Clinicians and long term care staff beware! You may think you know how to determine voting capacity, but chances are, you're not using the right set of standards. Mickey Mouse may not be an unacceptable candidate after all. [51:59] There are many resources to guide families and long term care communities in helping people with dementia to vote. Learn about them here. Click here to listen!Link to the show notes &amp; resources mentioned in this episode, hereRate and Review Psychology of Aging Podcast with Dr. Regina KoeppIf you're on Apple Podcasts, help me help others by rating and reviewing my show. Reviews let others- just like you- care for the older adults in their lives.It's simple: 1. Just Attention! Social Workers, Therapists, Counselors, Psychologists, Aging Life Care Experts... Click here to get Continuing Education Credits

#030-  Can people with dementia vote?A few weeks ago, I received an email from a listener:"Hello, Dr. Regina, I work in an assisted living facility. As the election approaches, family members of residents on memory care units have asked to have residents vote. Residents on this unit are here because they're unable to make informed decisions and don't have a grasp on reality. Also, the particular resident shows no interest in wanting to vote. It's the family that essentially wants to cast a vote for the individual, which seems unethical to me. I've tried reaching out to professional groups for some guidance to no avail. Do you have any thoughts regarding this topic? Older adults tend to vote more often and more consistently than other age groups. According to a US News Report, in 2018, 64% of adults age 65 and older voted in the November 2018 election, the best turnout of any age group. With this said, 10% of older adults, however, will experience a cognitive disorder, including a dementia disorder. It makes sense that the listener was asking the questions:Can people with dementia vote?Can people with dementia needing 24/7 care and supervision vote? Since this is such an important topic, I wanted to have the most up to date information for you, so I've invited Jennifer Mathis, Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law on the podcast to answer all of our FAQs about dementia and voting. Here’s a sneak peek inside my interview with Jennifer Mathis: <ul><li>[07:41] There's a long history of voter suppression in Long Term Care Communities.Learn about this history and what we can do about it. </li><li>[11:24] Jennifer discusses the history of voting fraud in the form of throwing out ballots of voters in the hospital. </li><li>[15:54] Jennifer answers the question: "If my wife always voted Republican for all of her life. And I know that she would vote Republican now, can I mark Republican on the ballot for her?"</li><li>[18:41] Jennifer describes the standards for voting capacity and reminds us that we have to apply to same standards to everyone. </li><li>[24:38] Practically speaking: how do you help someone with dementia vote?We discuss this here. </li><li>[28:22] What if the person with dementia has a legal guardian appointed by a court, can this person vote? Can the guardian vote for them? </li><li>[39:19] Clinicians and long term care staff beware! You may think you know how to determine voting capacity, but chances are, you're not using the right set of standards. Mickey Mouse may not be an unacceptable candidate after all. </li><li>[51:59] There are many resources to guide families and long term care communities in helping people with dementia to vote. Learn about them here.  </li></ul><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychology-of-aging-with-dr-regina-koepp/id1504142987" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to listen!</a> <a href="https://www.drreginakoepp.com/blog/faqs-about-dementia-and-voting-with-jennifer-mathis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Link to the show notes &amp; resources mentioned in this episode, here</a> Rate and Review Psychology of Aging Podcast with Dr. Regina Koepp If you're on Apple Podcasts, help me help others by rating and reviewing my show. Reviews let others- just like you- care for the older adults in their lives. It's simple: 1. Just <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychology-of-aging-with-dr-regina-koepp/id1504142987" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Attention! Social Workers, Therapists, Counselors, Psychologists, Aging Life Care Experts... <a href="https://courses.mentalhealthandaging.com/p/psychology-of-aging-ceu-podcast-subscription" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to get Continuing Education Credits</a>

FAQs about Dementia and Voting with Jennifer Mathis of The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

Learn about the Mathis Method developed by Dr. Jennifer Mathis to provide trauma-informed treatment services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn about the Mathis Method developed by Dr. Jennifer Mathis to provide trauma-informed treatment services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

The Mathis Method with Dr. Jennifer Mathis

Joyce welcomes disability rights leader, Jennifer Mathis, Esq., deputy legal director and director of programs for the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Ms. Mathis has worked primarily on the Medicaid rights of adults and children, discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and issues related to judicial nominations. She has recently returned to the Bazelon Center from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she worked on the regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act. During the show, Ms. Mathis will talk about her work at Bazelon, which includes litigation on community litigation claims, voting rights, and the parental rights of individuals with mental disabilities. She will also discuss how much of her work has focused on federalism issues that have threatened enforcement of federal disability rights in the courts.

Jennifer Mathis, Esq., and Disability Rights Leader with The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law