Medical Safeguarding: Protecting the Health and Lives of Vulnerable People 

This workshop is based on the work of Dr. W. Wolfensberger of the Syracuse University Training Institute, as well as the practical experiences of clinicians, family members, and advocates. The workshop explores the unpleasant and paradoxical reality that anyone who is hospitalized is exposed to grave dangers which jeopardize that person's health and safety, sometimes to the point of affecting whether they live or die. The workshop will offer practical information and examples on necessary guidelines and measures for protecting people in the hospital.

Presenters: 

•  Jo Massarelli 

Jo Massarelli is Director of the SRV Implementation Project based which is based in Massachusetts (USA). Jo is a consultant to the Medical Safeguards Project, an effort of physicians and nurses who seek to protect the lives of impaired people in medical settings.  Jo Massarelli assists the families and the nurses to view the people they serve in more than the “patient” role. She presents workshops on protecting vulnerable people in hospitals, on medical decision-making, and on ideological issues surrounding treatment measures.

•    Cathy Ludlum

Cathy Ludlum's personal and professional activities focus on the inclusion of people with disabilities in all areas of community life. As a person with a disability and an employer of personal assistants since 1988, Cathy brings an extensive background in the recruitment, hiring, and management of support staff. She has written several books, including a manual on how to hire personal assistants. She teaches workshops on demystifying assisted hydration and nutrition, or what it is like to have a g-tube.  She has lived independently (with support) since 1992.