Planning for the future

We can’t all see into the future, but  we can take some time now to look out for our future selves. You can appoint someone who knows you well to make certain decisions on your behalf, should you ever be unable to do so, by appointing a power of attorney. Someone who knows you well can also apply to act on your behalf if you are entitled to benefits but become unable to manage your own affairs.

An advance statement can allow you to set down your preferences, wishes, beliefs and values regarding your future care, including where you would like to be cared for (e.g. at home, in a hospital, in a nursing home or in a hospice).

If you would like information on making a will, this is available on the Gov.uk website. Advice on funeral plans is available from the Money Advice Service.

An advance decision is a decision you can make now to refuse a specific type of treatment at some time in the future, in case you are ever unable to communicate this decision yourself. If you’d like to record a decision about whether or not you’d like medical professionals to attempt CPR, should you ever suffer cardiac arrest, you can do this with a  DNACPR.

The My Decisions website helps you plan ahead by taking you through some questions and scenarios to get you thinking about what’s important to you. At the end it will generate a legal document about your wishes for treatment and care.

Remember you can also talk to your friends and family about your wants and wishes.