What happens when there is no one to look after your interests and in particular, decisions regarding your health and where you would wish to receive care?
This is incredibly worrying for many people who perhaps do not have any children, their spouse has died and there are no relatives who are able or willing to help in your time of need.
Some clients take the decision to appoint Anne Reed as their Attorney for both Health & Welfare and Finance & Property.
What does this mean in day to day practical terms? In simple terms it provides an insurance policy when the need arises.
It is a very unique and individual service we are able to offer and it is an great advantage that Anne is both clinically and legally qualified. When requested to act as a client’s Attorney, Anne is both passionate and protective of her clients’ wishes, desires and instructions as to how they wish to be cared for, where they want to end their days and how they want their finances and care requirements to be arranged.
Anne has had the privilege of working with numerous clients in these given circumstances – It is always advantageous if she can meet my client(s) when they are relatively well and they are able to share what they would like and how they would require such support. Of course, this is not always the case and Anne is equally able to act at short notice, liaising with hospitals, agencies and financial institutions in order to fulfil a client’s wish. Anne receives calls at any point of a client’s life, notably when ill health means one’s independence is limited or in the extreme, completely taken away. Sometimes, it is a call from the hospital to say a client has been admitted and requiring support with discharge planning. This can mean anything from liaising with medical staff, arranging care options principally for clients to return to their own home, negotiate funding options, arranging 24 hour live in care or domiciliary care on a daily basis.
The predominant wish for almost all of Anne’s clients is to remain in their own home; this does not only include the arrangements for care but on several occasions property maintenance/modernisation to facilitate such care to be given in a safe environment. Having extensive experience in property management, such skills are incredibly valuable with contacts in the trade and experienced personnel to assist – sometimes within very tight timescales. The practicalities of arranging and setting up the home in preparation for the arrival of your loved one can include arranging provision of necessary equipment such as a hospital bed, hoists, commodes, moving and handling, standing frames, settling in live-in carers, arranging furniture, grocery shopping or setting up internet access. As a financial Attorney Anne can arrange payments of bills, staff and keep account of income and expenditure. Above all, it is about understanding the person’s wishes in the event, Anne is required to act.
Having the combined clinical and legal experience, Anne is confident to make difficult decisions which balance practicalities and instructions/wishes of her clients – being in a position to transform someone’s life, facilitate a quick and smooth discharge from hospital providing a fully supported care package and ongoing monitoring and management of such is unique and highly valued by her clients.