Through the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) LifeCircle website, visitors can access comprehensive resources and training on guardianship and the role of guardians.
Guardians carry significant responsibilities when appointed, including advocating for the protected person’s health care. For many, this can be a complex and challenging role, especially when faced with life-sustaining treatment decisions. While some initial training is available for new guardians, it does not always address the depth of information needed to support informed medical decision-making.
Recognizing this gap, SDAHO LifeCircle has developed a series of training videos, worksheets, and educational resources specifically designed to help guardians navigate health care decisions for those in their care.
These SDAHO-produced videos provide valuable insight into a range of guardianship topics. They are created by South Dakota-based experts and can be accessed at any time, offering flexibility for users and their families.
Topics available:
- The Role of the Guardian: Informed Decisions (includes a worksheet – Informed Consent)
- The Role of the Guardian: Health Care Responsibilities (Includes a worksheet – Responsibilities for Working with Health care Providers)
- The Role of the Guardian: Advance Directives – Part 1 (Includes a worksheet – Advance Directives)
- The Role of the Guardian: Advance Directives – Part 2 (Includes a worksheet – Advance Directives)
- The Role of the Guardian: Life Sustaining Treatment (includes a worksheet – Ethical and Religious Directives | End of Life Interventions and Catholic Teaching)
- The Role of the Guardian: Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
- The Role of the Guardian: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). (Includes a worksheet – CPR Decision Aid)
Additional resources are also available on the Guardianship webpage, including:
- Guardian and Conservator Form Instructions
- The South Dakota Guardianship and Conservatorship Act
- Termination of Agency information
- South Dakota Department of Human Services Guardianship Information Sheet
To begin exploring these resources, visit: sdaho.org/guardianship
