I’m writing this post Dying Matters Awareness Week 2023, the aim of which is to encourage and normalise discussion about matters which are typically taboo. Death and dying, grief and bereavement are things we avoid talking about; Advance Care Planning sits at that table too. This blog shares a model I have developed to help talk about and explain Advance Care Planning.

This short blog is in response to a recent query I had following the registration of a client’s Lasting Power of Attorney and the potential for confusion around the word “activation”.

Can you claim a refund of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) Registration fees if a donor dies before the LPA is registered? This feels something sensitive but important to blog about today for a couple of reasons; firstly, I found it hard to get to a full answer on-line and secondly, because I hope that by explaining it I can help people by providing a question to ask any person who is drafting their Lasting Power of Attorney.

This blog is a pleasure to write; it is a chance to step back and honour where the question came from, identify what has been learned and share next steps. I’ll start with the person who contributed to the vision, describe the formal project that evolved and share the translation of the project into planning and actions.

This morning, at my local gym, I was asked an LPA question which makes a great starter for this week’s blog. It’s a question that I suspect applies to many people and I hope to raise awareness, conversations and action.

This week’s short blog focuses on a commonly asked question; can you add an attorney to an existing Lasting Power of Attorney? I’ll answer the question and include why it’s important to know this when making your Lasting Power of Attorney.

Can you be an attorney for a Lasting Power of Attorney if you have an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)? This is a question I was asked recently; to find out I had to do a little detective work and will reveal the answer here.

I found myself saying, “if I die…” Holly caught my eye and gave a wry smile; I’d fallen into language of uncertainty in the one event that is certain. Our meeting was to plan my funeral and it was scheduled after I’d interviewed Holly, a holistic funeral director, for a podcast. I’d been so impressed with what I had learned through our discussion and it felt right to tackle this next stage of my Advance Care Planning

What is an Enduring Power of Attorney and do I need a Lasting Power of Attorney if I have an Enduring Power of Attorney are questions I’m often asked and will address through this blog. To answer the questions, it will help to understand what each is, how they are set up and when each can be used.

One blog which has proved highly popular is LPAs and Activation Keys . In the blog I describe how you access an LPA digitally which enables you to share information safely and securely with share organisations. This is a follow up blog written to reflect updated guidance and use recent experience I have had to show the process in an easy to read step by step guide.

Have you heard of an Ordinary Power of Attorney? This blog explores some common questions around a little know document and includes what an Ordinary Power of Attorney is, when you may consider using an Ordinary Power of Attorney and how an Ordinary Power of Attorney differs from a Lasting Power of Attorney. I’m frequently asked if there are any options available during the 20 week wait period to register a Lasting Power of Attorney and, for some people, creating an Ordinary Power of Attorney could be of great value. Read on to find out more.

My job is all about proactive Advance Care Planning, my career has been spent in healthcare but it was strange recently to be on the other side; this time as a relative. People who follow me regularly will know I’m slowly emerging from the other side of a family crisis, this short blog (it has to be short, there’s just no energy left for anything more right now), shares one very personal example of the importance of a Lasting Power of Attorney when a person has a stroke.

As a consultant for Lasting Power of Attorney and an advocate for Advance Care Planning, learning more about the Court of Protection work and processes is important to me. I have attended previous hearings and found the experiences invaluable[i].
This hearing concerned whether the person at the centre of the case had validly appointed his sister and her husband with Power of Attorney.
https://openjusticecourtofprotection.org/2022/11/28/decision-making-with-clarity-and-compassion-validity-of-lpas-and-appointment-of-deputy/

This blog looks at what an Advance Care Planning Advocate is and why I have chosen to work in this area.

Some people make a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), but don’t validate it immediately choosing instead to wait until they need it. Recently I was asked if there was an expiry date on the time from creating an LPA to validating it; the current information is that there is no expiry. Previously an LPA had to be registered within a year, but that has now changed; as long as the document has been drafted correctly and signed in the correct order there is not a limit on the date it was signed to submitting it for registration. Does this mean it’s best to wait or to register immediately? This blog explores the two options.

In the previous blog I wrote about Making my Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment and commented on specific Advance Care Planning for a person approaching the end of life; here I follow up and explore what Advance Care Planning at the end of life might look like.

It has been on my to do list for some time now. Something I wanted to do but needed to be sure I had the right detail – my Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment.

An Advance decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) is a legal document which enables to refuse specific medical treatments in advance. In this blog I will describe what an ADRT is and how I went about making mine.

If the word journey wasn’t so overused I’d be using it now. The podcast Conversations About Advance Care Planning  started back in January and I never imagined that it would run so successfully for so long. I blogged  about the experience seven episodes in and now feel another milestone and time to reflect.

This blog explores a great resource from Hospice UK to support Advance Care Planning and specifically looks at the section for discussions about cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Increasingly people are asking to complete an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) at the same time as a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). I am happy to support with drafting an ADRT and this blog addresses some common questions on the differences between LPAs and ADRTs.