Orkney Health and Care says ‘plan ahead’ on Power of Attorney

Orkney Islands Council is launching a campaign early next year aimed at encouraging families to put in place Power of Attorney arrangements for their loved ones.

Fewer than one in ten adults in Scotland currently has a registered Power of Attorney.

Power of Attorney (PoA) is a legal document which allows an appointed person to make decisions for their loved ones in the case that they can no longer do so themselves.   

The PoA details the names of the people, known as attorneys, who you want to help you and lists the individual powers that you want them to have. The PoA will also state when your attorneys can begin acting.

The documents can be created with the assistance of a solicitor or legal firm and can include things to do with decisions on health or personal welfare or money and property.

Without a Power of Attorney families can face many challenges in making decisions on behalf of loved ones including medical or financial decisions such as enabling family members to come home from hospital.

Lynda Bradford is Head of Health and Community Care for Orkney Health and Care.  She said: “These matters can become very complicated and upsetting if people have to go to court to apply for the approval to manage someone else's decisions.  It’s the last thing that people need when the chances are that life is already upsetting and traumatic.

“These are difficult conversations to have but we’d urge folk to find the time. Time and again we hear from relatives who say their loved one always intended to make a power-of-attorney but never got round to it – there’s no time like the present – please act now and ‘plan ahead’.“

More information on Power of Attorney is available here - Setting up power of attorney - mygov.scot

The local campaign will be aligned with Planning Ahead- New Power of Attorney Initiative led by the Dementia Trust which launches in February and will raise awareness and tackle the misunderstandings that stop people from acting around power of attorney.