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Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Sharing the caring

An important document for anyone planning for their future care is a healthcare directive which appoints someone to make decisions for you about your health, long-term care, end-of-life treatment, and more if you are not able to make those decisions for yourself any longer. Across Canada, this document is called a Power of Attorney for Personal Care, a Healthcare Proxy, a Personal Directive, and Advance Directive, or an Advance Healthcare Directive.

I  meet with several clients each week who want these documents. One of the major decisions these clients must make is the choice of person or people to be their substitute decision maker. Some are very comfortable appointing family members or close friends, but not everyone has relatives who are willing and able. Others are not particularly comfortable in naming their relatives for various reasons. Who do they choose? How can they gain some peace of mind that decisions will be made properly?

There is a group in Ontario who is helping to fill the gap. I recently read an article by Audrey Miller of Elder Caring Inc. that I found very interesting. I know Ms. Miller a little bit and I'm aware of her standing and reputation in the elder care field, so I am comfortable recommending her article. Click here to read an article called Sharing the Caring. In this article, Ms. Miller talks about the idea of a group of friends sharing the caring for each other.

The Elder Care Group is not someone who would be appointed as a substitute decision maker. They will, however, help people who are appointed as such to make decisions, find resources, research care options and facilities, and generally act as support and guidance. There is nothing worse than having to make a potentially life-changing decision for someone else when you feel alone and unprepared. This group offers some valuable help.

Check out the article and see whether this resource is something you or your family could use.

1 comment:

  1. Woe hold on. I had power of attorney for my mother's heath care but I made myself expert into her Paget disease, allergies etc and what she needed. Handing the decision to decide on your heath can be very very dangerous, even allowing a doctor to make all the decisions was responsible for destroying my life! So I advise extreme caution in this regard.

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