ODL 307:  Ethical and Legal Considerations in Culturally Competent Care

Created on: 10/17/24

Attention New Jersey Social Workers: 

This course is approved for all social workers, including New Jersey. The Board Adopted Amendments: N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.3, 6.4, and 6.7 Content Areas for Continuing Education Credit on April 15, 2024. This updates the Board’s regulation. This amendment states that  attendance at programs or courses offered by providers approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) are now acceptable sources of CE credit. 

At the June 12, 2024 public meeting, the Board voted to allow “any applications submitted, or audits which take place, on or after September 1, 2022” to be able “to submit CE from the sources updated in the new amendment adopted on April 15, 2024.”

For more information please refer to https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/sw/Pages/Additional-Information.aspx#CE

Target Audience:

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

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.

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
Case Managers
CCMC – 1 Ethics Hour
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing –1 Contact Hour
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

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

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.