Two vital life decisions

My father died on April 1st. Before he died, he lost the mental capacity to make decisions for himself.

As a lawyer, I understand the importance of and the need for people to make a Power of Attorney (POA) in order to ensure that they are cared for and their wishes are followed in any circumstance in which they are no longer able to provide for themselves.

This was brought home to me personally in the months preceding my father’s death.

My family and I were grateful that his lawyer had ensured that he had in place POAs so that his children could make important and necessary decisions about his financial affairs and his medical treatment and care.

Frankly, I’m not sure what we would have done if my father’s lawyer had not put these measures in place before he died.

I believe that it is incumbent on all of us, as lawyers and paralegals, to remind our clients of the importance and value of a Power of Attorney, and to ensure that clients who have not made a POA do so as soon as possible.

Recently, the Ontario Bar Association began a public campaign to encourage people to make a Power of Attorney.

In reading about their initiative, I learned that the OBA has partnered with the Trillium Gift of Life Network, and created a joint initiative that urges people to register as an organ donor as well as committing to making a POA.

It is a little known fact that one organ donor can save eight lives. That statistic becomes even more compelling when you learn that one Ontarian dies every three days while waiting for an organ donation.

There is no better time than the present to engage your family in a discussion of the importance of both a Power of Attorney and a commitment to registering as an organ donor.

Informing your family of your decisions is a life-affirming step, for you, and potentially for others in the future.

You will find a wealth of information about this unique and worthwhile initiative on the OBA’s website. To register as a donor, you need to sign a consent form.

I commend the OBA and the Trillium Gift of Life Network for raising awareness about two vital life decisions we all need to make.

Lawyers and paralegals need to make these commitments themselves, for the sake of their own families, and then to encourage their clients to follow their lead.