Consumer guide: top tips for choosing a power of attorney

The Office of the Public Advocate in Victoria and the Commissioner for Senior Victorians have developed a practical guide to help older people appoint a power of attorney.

The Office of the Public Advocate in Victoria and the Commissioner for Senior Victorians have developed a practical guide to help older people appoint a power of attorney.

The booklet, Your voice – Trust your choice, provides tips, case studies and sample wording for older people to consider when thinking about and making an enduring power of attorney.

The resource is a companion booklet to the Office of the Public Advocate’s Taking control: a guide for making enduring powers of attorney.

A particular focus of the guide is providing tips on minimising the risk of abuse of a power attorney through safeguards such as appointing more than one attorney.

The resource includes a checklist to guide a person through the process of making a power of attorney – from choosing a trusted person, to deciding what powers to give and when those powers start, through to reviewing a power of attorney.

“The most important decision when making an enduring power of attorney is choosing who to appoint – the role of attorney is powerful and carries significant responsibilities,” said Victorian Public Advocate Colleen Pearce.

Commissioner for Senior Victorians Gerard Mansour discussed the development of the resource at the National Elder Abuse Conference in Sydney on Tuesday.

Download the practical guide here.

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Tags: education, elder-abuse, gerard-mansour, news-ccrn-3, office-of-public-advocate-victoria, power-of-attorney, resource,

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