R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.5-18: Development of responsibilities.

All rights and responsibilities specified in §§ 23-17.5-3, 23-17.5-7, 23-17.5-15, and 23-17.5-17 shall devolve, in order of priority, to a patient’s guardian, next of kin, sponsoring agency(ies) or representative payor (except when the facility itself is the representative payor) for patients who are:

(1) Adjudicated incompetent in accordance with state law; or

(2) Found by the physician to be medically incapable of understanding their rights; or

(3) Found to exhibit a communication barrier. If, however, the communication barrier is one of speaking a language other than English, then an attempt shall be made to find an interpreter to allow the patient to knowingly exercise his or her rights.