MAKING DECISIONS NOW TO SAVE STRESS LATER

Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland is helping older Queenslanders understand Enduring Powers of Attorney.

Thinking about a time when you might not be able to make decisions for yourself and you need someone to take care of things for you can be stressful. Many of us simply avoid it, because we don’t want to consider the possibility or don’t know who to choose to take care of our affairs.

COTA Queensland is working to help older people in Queensland understand and think through these decisions. COTA Queensland is a statewide not-for-profit organisation advancing the rights, needs and futures of people as we age. Peer educators, who are themselves older Queenslanders, are delivering free information sessions about Enduring Powers of Attorney.

An Enduring Power of Attorney is a formal document that gives decision making powers on your financial and/or health and personal wishes to someone you trust, when you no longer have the capacity to make rational and informed decisions.

Peter Carne, the Public Trustee said the Public Trustee was proud to support the COTA program to educate people about the importance of Enduring Powers of Attorney, and what needs to be considered to support people to make the right choices for their future.

“Sadly, too often our Office witnesses the results when people have not appointed an attorney or they have made the wrong choice of who to appoint”.

“Enduring Powers of Attorney are important future planning documents that every Queenslander over 18 needs, and they need to be carefully considered, that’s why this COTA program is so vital,” Mr Carne said.

The sessions are designed to assist older people to make informed decisions about their Enduring Powers of Attorney. The sessions help participants to think through who they could choose to manage their affairs, and how to talk to those closest to them about their decisions.

The program has been designed in collaboration with a group of peer educators to ensure the information is relevant to older people and delivered in a way that is easy to understand. The sessions are interactive, and run for an hour. Attendees are also provided with specifically designed take-home materials to help them work through these decisions at home.

“People can be frightened by Enduring Powers of Attorney because they think they are giving away control of their decisions”, said Mark Tucker-Evans, Chief Executive COTA Queensland.

“This is about empowering people to understand what an Enduring Power of Attorney is and how to choose the right people to act for them, if the time should come.” Mark said that people often confuse this role with that of a solicitor, and don’t understand what the Attorney in an Enduring Power of Attorney refers to.

COTA Queensland’s Peer Educators see their role as essential in helping others in their communities to make informed decisions. Phil Page, a peer educator from Yarraman, said that he believes the information shared through COTA’s peer education assists older people to modify their thoughts and actions, improving their overall quality of life. “These information sessions will assist older Queenslanders in understanding the importance of planning ahead, especially for when a person can no longer make logical and informed decisions themselves. This will enable them to take control of their own future”.

A number of the peer educators are Justices of the Peace, and are all too aware of the consequences of people not understanding Enduring Powers of Attorney, and not planning for their future. David Peace said that the role of the Attorney is sometimes poorly understood.

“As a JP on the Gold Coast I sometimes see people who have left it too late to appoint an Attorney of their choosing to ensure that their wishes are respected”.

Brisbane peer educator, Margaret Greig, said that participants have taken great interest in these sessions, many realising that making an Enduring Power of Attorney is not about ‘doom and gloom’. “They take away an understanding that it’s about them taking control, and also the confidence to approach their families to discuss their wishes for the future”.

There are 18 peer educators across Queensland delivering the Planning Ahead sessions. Sessions are being offered in the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions, in and around Brisbane, Toowoomba, Yarraman, Maranoa, and Bundaberg.

If you belong to an existing seniors group, club or organisation, contact COTA Queensland on bookings@cotaqld.org.au to arrange for a FREE Planning Ahead: Let’s Talk Enduring Powers of Attorney session before 31 May 2018.

Planning Ahead: Let’s Talk Enduring Powers of Attorney is funded by the Queensland Government and is supported by the Public Trustee.