Nidus News

Why Personal Planning?

Personal planning is about planning for when you are alive and you need help making decisions, managing your affairs, or both.

Adults in BC who are 19 years or older are presumed to be capable of making decisions about their personal care, health care, legal matters, and the routine management of their financial affairs, and no one has automatic legal authority to act on their behalf if they need help while alive.

It is a good idea to make sure personal planning documents are in place to give a person or persons the legal authority to help you with one or more of the following types of matters: health care, personal care, legal affairs and financial affairs — if you are ill, injured, or need support for other reasons.

A number of factors have made personal planning even more important than before:

• the aging of the population,
• the Covid-19 global pandemic and other emergencies,
• an increased concern for privacy, informed consent and human rights, and
• a shift in society’s values. Moving away from ‘best interests’ (what someone else thinks is good for you) & moving towards self-determination (your wishes and beliefs) as the focus of decisions – “nothing about me, without me.”

Personal planning includes making legal documents that name those you trust and who know you best. Personal planning does not take away your rights to make decisions and to manage your affairs.