End of life care and Lasting Powers of Attorney: Giving power back to your loved ones.
End of life care and Lasting Powers of Attorney: Giving power back to your loved ones. By Samuel Amer On the 30 th of July, the UK Supreme Court handed down an unprecedented decision. The court held that when an individual was in a permanent vegetative state, and there was an agreement between the family and doctors, medical staff could withdraw food & water from the patient allowing them to pass away. This decision is seen as quite a departure from legal precedent. Previously families and doctors who were in agreement would have to endure an agonising process of applying to the Court of Protection to have life sustaining care removed. Although some groups feel that the decision is inhumane, many people who have endured the terrible situation of watching a loved one needlessly remain in an undignified state have welcomed the ruling. As the nation’s aged population increases, it’s the case that more of us have developed our own views on end of life care, and also...