SFE publish white paper report on the incapacity crisis
11 July 2018
Solicitors For The Elderly (SFE) have released a survey "The incapacity crisis – a nation unprepared" to understand the impact of Dementia being the leading cause of death in the UK and how prepared the country is to face the rising levels of incapacity.
Key takeaways from the survey are:
- 96% of people in London & the South West of England leave important health and welfare decisions to chance.
- 62% of Londoners and 73% of those from the South West would like a family member to make medical and care decisions on their behalf, in the event of mental incapacity.
- 66% of people in London and 76% of people in the South West are worried about dementia, and losing the ability to make decisions for themselves.
- Over 80% of those from London and the South West haven’t discussed end of life medical and care wishes
- 36% of people in London and 39% of people from the South West admit to having made no provisions at all, such as a will, LPA, pension or funeral plan.
The results show how the majority of people, whom maybe understand the importance of future planning, are failing to write down their wishes or even talk about them with friends and family.
Following the results of the survey, SFE is pleading for the taboo around medical decisions and end of life care to end, and for H&W LPA's to become a topic of discussion around any dinner table.
The effects of poor future planning, in case of incapacity or death, can create difficult situations for our loved ones and increase strain on health and care services across the UK.
