Speaking for myself

When thinking about your future, it is natural to assume that you will always be able to make your own decisions about your life. But have you considered what would happen to your financial and personal affairs if something were to happen that affected your decision-making abilities? If you were involved in a bad car accident, had a stroke or developed dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease or other illness?

The reality is that life can be unpredictable, and despite your best efforts, things can happen which mean you may not be able to make decisions for yourself. The law calls this losing ‘mental capacity’.

Rather than viewing this as a depressing subject that you’d rather avoid, you could be pro-active, taking back some control and reducing the fear associated with the unknown. Take the opportunity now to plan ahead while you are still healthy and able to do so. This is important not just for your own peace of mind, but also for your loved ones, sparing them the difficulty, anxiety and expense associated with fulfilling unplanned wishes. This booklet explains how you can do this.

If you wait until you have lost your capacity to make decisions, you will have lost the opportunity to have any control over, or say in, what happens to you or your property.

If you don’t plan ahead, it could mean that people in your life who you might not have chosen may end up making decisions on your behalf, on things like where you live, what happens to your home, whether you are placed in a nursing home or what medical treatment you receive.

If there is a dispute between family members over what decisions should be made, and who should make them, there will be no one with the authority to decide for you and resolve any disagreements. Someone may have to take legal action to sort this out. This can be time-consuming, stressful, and expensive.

The Benevolent Society and Legal Aid NSW have prepared this booklet to help you take control of later life decisions. Speaking for myself is about providing you with the information you need, to take the stress out of getting older. This booklet will show you how you can take steps to protect your interests, making sure your future is in good hands and that things are done the way you would want.