A campaign to raise awareness of end of life rights has been launched by Age UK, with funding for the project being provided by the Big Lottery Silver Dreams Fund. This follows a successful pilot scheme, which was operated in the boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets, in partnership with Age UK East London.
The aim of the “My Life, My Decision” project is to provide a one-to-one service, offering information and support to those that need it and who may be too worried to seek help. There are several available locations around the UK for greater accessibility. Are you aware of this campaign and are you in support of such schemes? Would this service benefit your clients?
My Life, My Decision staff and volunteers are able to provide short talks and CPD accredited briefings to staff teams, voluntary and community groups. Forums have also been set up to inform people about end of life rights. The project has a whole range of tools available that offer positive support to individuals.
Have you integrated the support tools that are currently available? When used within your practice charter, these could enable your clients to effectively discuss and understand a legally binding way to set out the treatments they would desire, during such a difficult situation.
Have you seen an increase in demand for Advance Directives or LPAs regarding Health and Welfare matters recently? Or do you find that clients will come to you often not knowing the options or choices available to them and what measures they can put in place to ensure their specific wishes are carried out as required?
Dying Matters Week is another awareness campaign that was recently held across the UK during 18th-24th May 2015. Did you promote this event within your practice to raise awareness? These schemes could significantly benefit will writing firms and probate practitioners, as greater awareness could subsequently lead to an increase in the number of enquiries you are receiving.
Do you feel that further awareness is needed to help support such an important and emotive cause?
A testimonial on the Compassion in Dying website states: “Having my father’s wishes set out in an Advance Decision gave me the confidence, determination and ultimately the authority to make sure my father’s wishes were carried out. I was so grateful for that piece of paper and for the work that Compassion in Dying had put into making it effective.”
Have you had experience in similar cases to the above, in terms of clients’ relatives legally having the right to carry out such wishes after death? Has the campaign had a positive impact or was awareness of the Dying Matters’ ‘message’ relatively unknown?
There have been many other reported cases recently regarding the rights to end life and the choices available. Of course there are both advantages and disadvantages having a living will. Would you agree with the following extract from the BBC’s Ethics Guide to Living Wills:
Advantages of living wills
- They respect the patient’s human rights, and in particular their right to reject medical treatment
- Creating them encourages full discussion about end of life decisions
- Knowing what the patient want means that doctors are more likely to give appropriate treatment
- They help medical professionals in making difficult decisions
- A patient’s family and friends don’t have to make the difficult decisions
Disadvantages of living wills
- Writing them may be very depressing
- It’s difficult for a healthy person adequately to imagine what they would really want in the situations where a living will would take effect
- It may be hard to translate the words of the Living Will into actual medical action
- Patients may change their minds but not change their living Wills
- They’re no use if they can’t be found quickly when needed
Please leave a comment below and share your views.
