Power of Attorney
It's almost exactly a year since I wrote, on this comm, that death may come on a surfboard but it doesn't come cheap. Most of the arrangements I wanted to make, described in that post, are in place now and I still don't want to die. I won't be ready for the Grim Reaper for a long time yet.
While continuing to enjoy my life, I've answered a question that's sometimes asked. 'What's good about your disability? How is it a blessing?' That question is quite irritating! But I did find something good about having this *!*!*! disability. For me, it's been a push to sort out some old stuff.
In the last two years I've set up Lasting Power of Attorney twice.
Here in Britain, under current law you can set up 'Lasting Power of Attorney' for either or both of these two areas: your 'health and welfare' and your 'property and financial affairs'. Here's how the Government summarises it. My excellent solicitor told me, for a fee, how this applies to me. He's written each LPoA to my instructions, translating my words into legalese.
The 'property and financial affairs' LPoA was straightforward for me. My Attorney in waiting (as in, waiting until I activate the PoA) is my solicitor.
But the 'health and welfare' LPoA has involved facing up to a can of worms. I'd never doubted the reality of what happened in the past, and would continue now if I hadn't put a legal stop to it. But the 'can of worms' includes denial from just about everybody I've ever told about it. I'm not going to write detail in this public forum but I'll say that I've felt lonely. I've also felt warmth from the good people I've appointed to be my Attorneys in waiting. There's a lot of kindness in this world.
It took months to sort out who'd be named in the legalese. Then more months to get everybody's details in the correct format (I had no idea about that particular person's middle name!) and everybody's signature on the document. Then some faffing to find a day when everybody could get together in a pub and find out what each other looks like. No instant dislikes were taken, which was a relief since these people have signed up to work together on some potentially nasty stuff.
Then it took me a few weeks to write to my solicitor, telling him in English what I want translated into legalese as 'guidance' for my Attorneys. Then I needed a witness to my signature on the official document. The witness couldn't be one of my Attorneys in waiting. Hence not my beloved partner. A neighbour from the allotment site did the witnessing for me and I think we managed to avoid muddy fingerprints.
A few days ago, I sent that document and the final version of that letter to my solicitor. He'll do the necessary and then he'll invoice me.
Such peace, now. Such relief. As my partner's late mother used to say, 'If it can be mended wi' money, it doesn't matter.'
While continuing to enjoy my life, I've answered a question that's sometimes asked. 'What's good about your disability? How is it a blessing?' That question is quite irritating! But I did find something good about having this *!*!*! disability. For me, it's been a push to sort out some old stuff.
In the last two years I've set up Lasting Power of Attorney twice.
Here in Britain, under current law you can set up 'Lasting Power of Attorney' for either or both of these two areas: your 'health and welfare' and your 'property and financial affairs'. Here's how the Government summarises it. My excellent solicitor told me, for a fee, how this applies to me. He's written each LPoA to my instructions, translating my words into legalese.
The 'property and financial affairs' LPoA was straightforward for me. My Attorney in waiting (as in, waiting until I activate the PoA) is my solicitor.
But the 'health and welfare' LPoA has involved facing up to a can of worms. I'd never doubted the reality of what happened in the past, and would continue now if I hadn't put a legal stop to it. But the 'can of worms' includes denial from just about everybody I've ever told about it. I'm not going to write detail in this public forum but I'll say that I've felt lonely. I've also felt warmth from the good people I've appointed to be my Attorneys in waiting. There's a lot of kindness in this world.
It took months to sort out who'd be named in the legalese. Then more months to get everybody's details in the correct format (I had no idea about that particular person's middle name!) and everybody's signature on the document. Then some faffing to find a day when everybody could get together in a pub and find out what each other looks like. No instant dislikes were taken, which was a relief since these people have signed up to work together on some potentially nasty stuff.
Then it took me a few weeks to write to my solicitor, telling him in English what I want translated into legalese as 'guidance' for my Attorneys. Then I needed a witness to my signature on the official document. The witness couldn't be one of my Attorneys in waiting. Hence not my beloved partner. A neighbour from the allotment site did the witnessing for me and I think we managed to avoid muddy fingerprints.
A few days ago, I sent that document and the final version of that letter to my solicitor. He'll do the necessary and then he'll invoice me.
Such peace, now. Such relief. As my partner's late mother used to say, 'If it can be mended wi' money, it doesn't matter.'