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Webinar helps deal with legal decisions surrounding dementia

Free webinar helps people plan ahead for legal, financial, and health care decisions
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The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is offering a series of free webinars for those dealing with the challenges of dementia. (Photo credit: Alzheimer Society of B.C.)

A diagnosis of dementia can bring on worry and anxiety about the changes in store. One way to ease transitions and soothe anxieties as dementia progresses is to prepare for legal, health care, and financial decisions that need to be made.

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is available to help with this portion of the dementia journey. On March 10 they will be hosting “Planning Ahead: Do It Now!”, a free webinar with guest speaker and lawyer Emily Clough. The hour-long session starts at 2 p.m.

As dementia progresses, it can become increasingly difficult to make choices about your care, finances, and other important decisions. However, there are several things you can do to ensure that your wishes are communicated, heard, and respected later on.

Clough is a strong voice for clients facing incapacity issues and has experience assisting clients in all aspects of estate law. During the webinar she will discuss useful strategies to begin legal, health care, and financial planning now, before dementia affects your ability to communicate.

Planning ahead can provide comfort during times of change and uncertainty. It can also mean the difference between the care you want and the care you might receive.

Planning in advance gives you an opportunity to decide what is important to you, what your values and wishes are, and what path forward would make you most comfortable. You can learn about different medical procedures, and decide on someone who will be able to make decisions on your behalf, and speak for you if you cannot speak for yourself.

By talking to your decision-maker now about how you want to be cared for later on, you will make those choices easier for them. You will also have the comfort of knowing that your future care will be in trusted hands.

Open communication about your wishes with the people closest to you is important to ensure that everyone is on the same page. There are also legal documents regarding planning for future health care that you can use to record your wishes.

In addition to “Planning Ahead”, there are other free webinars coming up. “Considering the Transition to Long-Term Care” (March 17, 2 p.m.) looks at what to consider if you are thinking about moving into long-term care, and ways to ease the transition, while “Building Caregiver Resiliency” (March 24, 2 p.m.) provides strategies to manage caregiver stress and improve caregiving skills.

To register for any of these upcoming webinars, or to access previous free recorded webinars, visit the Alzheimer Society website at https://bit.ly/3iMmWAM.



editorial@accjournal.ca

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