1. A resident's substitute decision maker can decide whether or not the resident is capable of making treatment decisions.

2. Even if a resident is capable, informed consent for treatment must also be obtained from the person named in the resident's Power of Attorney for Personal Care document.

3. A person is considered a resident's "spouse" only if that person is married to the resident.

4. When making a treatment decision for a resident, a substitute decision maker must consider a resident's wishes before considering the resident's best interests.

5. When equally ranked substitute decision makers disagree, the healthcare provider can go to the Public Guardian and Trustee for consent.

6. If a resident has two equally ranked substitute decision makers, and one provides consent to treatment but the other refuses, the health care provider proposing treatment must wait for them to agree.

7. If a resident has no higher ranked substitute decision makers, but one child is older than the other, the eldest child will be the substitute decision maker.

8. Someone named in a Power of Attorney for Personal Care can appoint another person to make decisions for the resident.

9. Ontario's Health Care Consent Act includes principles that substitute decision makers are to follow when making treatment decisions for someone else.

10. The Public Guardian and Trustee can make treatment decisions for a resident who has nobody else to act as their substitute decision maker only if prior arrangements have been made by the resident.