Capacity Evaluations & Declaration Form GC335 (California State)

Capacity evaluations, as mandated by the State of California, are physician assessments of a person's capacity or ability to safely care for themselves, manage their own medications safely, avoid injury, manage finances, and to protect themselves from fraudsters and scam artists.

The Capacity Declaration Process

For persons living alone, psychiatric and neuro-cognitive decline can happen in some individuals. This can present a serious risk to the person. When there is concern by family, friends, neighbors, or acquaintances about a person's ability to safely care for and protect themself, a process may be undertaken to legally determine what is needed for the best interest of the individual. If the person is thought to be in immediate danger, 911 should be called. For less urgent situations, Adult Protective Services (APS) may be contacted to investigate the situation. Families may seek legal guidance from an attorney, and in many cases, a judge may become involved. Capacity Declarations may also be requested by your bank in order to activate a durable power of attorney.

House Call Physician Assessment - Less Traumatic for the Patient

In some cases, the person of concern may refuse to leave their residence to be evaluated. House call physicians may be called to evaluate patients in their home, thereby minimizing anxiety and stress to the patient. Unlike office or clinic based practitioners, house call doctors tend to have ample time during the house call visit to comprehensively and accurately assess the patient. Evaluating patients on site allows mobile doctors to gather useful information about dangers and risks that patients are exposed to in the home environment, which can then aid in evaluating the patient's "capacity".