ODL 307:  Ethical and Legal Considerations in Culturally Competent Care

Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training required for ethics credits to be awarded. If this training indicates ethics credits are available, please verify that your state allows them to be earned through an on-demand course format.

1 CREDIT HOUR APPROVED FOR:

Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 1 Ethics CE Credit
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 1 Contact Hour
Psychologists
APA – 1 CE Credit
Counselors- 1 Ethics Hour or 1 Contact Hour*
NBCC ACEP – 1 Contact Hour
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 1 Contact Hour
Substance Abuse Counselors
NAADAC – 1 Contact Hour
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing –1 Contact Hour
Case Managers
CCMC – 1 Ethics Hour

* Some states do not require/accept ethics hours for counselors, for those cases contact hours will be awarded.

Created on: 10/17/24 Revised on: 06/30/25

Target Audience:

This course is targeted for social workers, psychologists, counselors, nurses and case managers.

Counselor Skill Groups:

8. Legal, Ethical and Professional Development

Overview:

“Ethical & Legal Considerations in Culturally Competent Elder Care” focuses on the need for culturally sensitive practices in elder care. It addresses cultural competence, emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting diverse cultural values, beliefs, and customs when interacting with older adults. The concept of cultural humility is introduced as a continuous process of self-reflection and openness to learning. The presentation also explores intersectionality, highlighting how factors such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and disability intersect to shape unique experiences for older adults, often leading to disparities in care. Additionally, it discusses key ethical principles—like autonomy, justice, and beneficence—and provides legal guidance on topics such as informed consent, advance directives, and elder protection laws, all aimed at delivering ethically and legally sound care that acknowledges the cultural context of aging.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the session, the participant will be able to:

1. Express an understanding of cultural competence and humility in elder care. 
2. Discover the impact of intersectionality on the experiences of older adults.
3. Apply ethical and legal guidelines for culturally competent elder care.

Presenter:

Lisa Bednarz, LCSW, CMAC, ACM-SW, ASW-G

Lisa began her career serving as a community guardian for incapacitated older adults before joining New York-Presbyterian’s distinguished geriatrics team, and ultimately moving fully into healthcare leadership. She has front-line experience navigating the intersection of the healthcare and legal systems and uses this knowledge to educate physicians on ethical issues in gerontology, including capacity assessments and elder abuse. She has developed and implemented screening tools and response protocols to address elder abuse within the acute care setting. Lisa has advanced training in trauma-focused care, family systems, and healthcare management. She is a former Hartford Fellow in Geriatric Mental Health and a former advisor for the Vulnerable Elder Protection Team at Weill Cornell Medical College. Lisa operates a small geriatric care management practice and acts as a consultant and speaker on psychosocial health in the aging population and ethical decision-making in work with cognitively impaired clients. Lisa lives in New York City with her family.