While the courts will defer to the wishes of the incapable person regarding their attorney/guardian of personal care, they will also look at the past actions of the applicants.
Category: Elder Law
As many of you know the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a credit to income tax otherwise payable, available for those with a severe or prolonged impairment. It is meant to provide some relief from the additional costs and expenses incurred associated with the impairment. I have written in the…
A few weeks ago, I came across a media article about elder financial abuse involving the use of a power of attorney. In my view, this issue has even greater relevance today in light of the current COVID-19 lockdown, and the resulting physical isolation of our vulnerable seniors. The Story…
Emerson and Marie Lewis appointed two of their six adult children, Donald and Douglas Lewis, as their attorneys for property. Their remaining four children (the “non-attorney siblings”) commenced an application pursuant to ss. 42(1) and (4) of the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992, S.O. 1992, c.30 (the “SDA”) for leave to…
Financial elder abuse is defined by the World Health Organisation as the illegal or improper exploitation or use of funds or resources of the older person.[i] The misuse of a senior’s funds and assets involves the use of the senior’s funds without that senior’s knowledge and/or full consent, or, in…
Recently I had the pleasure of taking a vacation with my mother and husband. As it turned out, it was a family oriented resort which put us in the middle of young parents and young children. Now while several of our friends have grandchildren, my boys are not there yet. …
Last month I wrote about the issue of consent for CPR, explaining that the Court in Wawrzyniak v. Livingstone confirmed that a physician’s duty is to his or her patient and not the interests of the substitute decision-maker (SDM). Treatments that are not believed to be in the interests of…
The case of Wawrzyniak v. Livingstone, 2019 ONSC 4900 (CanLII) is a landmark decision that readers may find interesting. It clarifies physicians’ obligations with respect to the writing of no-CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) orders and the provision of CPR in Ontario hospitals. The decision has led to the College of Physicians…
Medically assistance in dying (MAID= Bill C14) for eligible Canadians was passed by federal legislation in June 2016. To recap, eligibility includes: Being 18 years and older and mentally competent Having a grievous and irremediable medical condition Making a voluntary request for MAID that is not the result of outside…
In Foisey v. Green, the Divisional Court allowed an appeal of the application judge’s decision that set aside a release signed by a beneficiary who was later deemed incapable of managing property. I previously wrote about the earlier decision that was under appeal. The appellant, Ms. Green, was an estate…