Corona Virus Concerns
Comments
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We don't have wills by the way or POA's set up. Might get round to it one day.
So you should. I assume I am not wrong in thinking that POA only allows someone to administer your affairs not divide up your estate? It will also make it easier for a surviving partner to inherit the estate. If you are both reasonably fit I would suggest a Will is more important than POA.
David
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You said that last time I used the same phrase. 😦
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POA ceases on the death of the subject. From that point an executor takes over.
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Actually I'd say the other way round.
If you don't want to live in a 'half world' or as a vegetable health POA is vital. Equally a wealth one will be required at that stage. Registering them saves time at the time. If they arent in place it's expensive to do in a hurry, about £5k possibly each???
If you die intestate, without a will, there is a pecking order for distribution of your assets. Spouse offspring etc so unless you have a reason that you dont want things going in that percentage the basics are covered.
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Up here, If no will, spouse only gets a certain amount before the children get theirs, and you cannot completely disinherit either children or spouse, though they can decline to claim their rights.
POA need not be expensive to do if you have capacity, but does get pricey if the "public guardian" needs to be involved.
Both wills and POAs are well worth organising sooner rather than later. Most solicitors will give you a "package deal" to cover bith
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David we both had POA for my Mum, OH was the executor of her will as he was for my Dad. POA ends once the person dies while the executor carries on until the affairs are all sorted.
OH had a will when he was still serving, it was pretty much standard then. Things in Scotland are a bit different to England when it comes to sorting out a persons estate. A number of my friends has POA's sorted but as yet neither of us feel the need. As I said one day we will get a will done but its not top of my things to do.
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It's the same in England. Certain percentage to spouse,children, siblings and parents I believe if they all survive the deceased.
I was surprised that this time there was no spouse survival for 28 days, as there was on our previous ones. We were originally told this saved work and expense if say both died, but at different times, from say a road accident, just the last to die will is invoked.
POA's can, like wills, be DIY, forms available I believe, but of course you need to be aware of the "rules". If a POA isn't registered that has to be done when its needed- more delay. I believe it's cheaper to do when theres no urgency, last year ours were £82 for each so that was times 4, 2 health 2 wealth. If the board of guardians get involved it's very expensive and I'm not sure you can name your Attorney it can be imposed and not a family member thus who has knowledge of the person, just 'their job'.
We have ensured both of our children 😉 have written wills and got POA's, not sure what they're called in NZ.
We have had a couple of occasions where they may have been needed, starting in our early 40's for OH. I have always known OH wishes, as he has mine, the kids did too but now they don't live at home there maybe subtle changes in views? It makes it crystal clear for all concerned inside and outside the family 😉.
Last year I had to have a horrible conversation about putting OH on life support, with a very unknown outcome, with doctors. They were great but couldn't be certain that what I told them were his wishes. In the end it didn't come to it, but immediately he was well enough to discuss they took it up with him. Fortunately I had been right 😉 and a DNR was added to his file. Sadly this doesn't stay on the top but gets buried so it's not always clear at the time it's most needed
Personally I cannot stress the importance of having such matters sorted. Not a pleasant task when you have to confront the realities, but once done it takes weeks!, it can be filled safe in the knowledge your wishes will be respected - hopefully 😀
Edit you can include requests for your body disposal and funeral in your will but they do not have to be adhered to.
As my mums vicar, who conducted her funeral - (she had noted things about what she'd like in various places, again a bit more distressing for my brother and I as they were discovered when least expected) said you don't have to do everything, you can choose hymns and readings too - after all she won't be there! Which I thought was a wonderful quip, we both approved and like the man anyway. My brother's retort was fear of haunting 😱
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I should add, on a more cheerful note, get it done and then forget about it!
What's going to be announced today I wonder? The papers look as though they've gone into a silly frenzy when the reality will no doubt be more controlled.
Will the refuse and recycling tip be by first vision of freedom?!
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I think some recycling centres are opening, but not fully, mainly for household waste rather than things like garden waste, electrical etc.... Our garden waste collection is reinstated from tomorrow, and given that we pay for it, they have also said that the two missed collections will be made up, so that’s good news.
I find myself daily more astounded as to how pathetically under prepared our country actually is for such as this pandemic. We seem incapable of producing the equipment so urgently required, such as gowns, masks, gloves, etc..... and are being shipped sub standard tat from elsewhere. (Thankfully, a little army of makers and creaters had stepped into the breach) Now it transpires swabs are being flown to USA for testing🤷♀️
I suppose we should be thankful it wasn’t an act of aggression, can just imagine the telephone conversation......
”Hello Mr P, about those warheads aimed at us.....do you think you could hang on a couple of weeks, we have just found ours are out of date. We ordered replacements from Turkey, but they don’t work, so we have sent them back and are trying to get some more. We have got our best people working on setting up new technology, but they want more money than we want to pay, so it’s a bit difficult..........And the planes aren’t ready for our new aircraft carrier yet, plus the Captain had an illegal party so he’s been sacked.......”
It would be funny if it wasn’t true.......☹️
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We’re heading down the toilet for sure. It’s been a mantra for decades has the destruction of our manufacturing base. We will be held to ransom if it isn’t sorted. Costing way more than future proofing industry. PS-not forgetting ‘the little army of makers’ being ignored by Govt until they sold their wares to the USA🤷🏻♂️🙄
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Not very often you'll hear me praising our local council, although it did change colour last year 😉, all our collections 4 a week, have continued as has grass cutting, street sweeping etc. No extra charge for garden waste at present!
BT have been and still are up poles and threading cables in holes around the area, in the little area I have been out and about in 4 times in 54 days! 5G I believe.
Theres also lots of new Mark's and colours on pavements and round potholes 🤣🤣🤐
Takethedogalong I'm fully with you over our unpreparediness 😤🤐. I was staggered to find swabs were being sent to America for testing! I sincerely hope this will be a wake up call? But I fear not. Think of all the employment, tax etc it would generate 🤐🤐🤐.
Certainly heard more planes in the last few days and seen evidence of them higher in the sky. A bit like the traffic increasing...
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Our local council tip is reopening tomorrow after they originally said they wouldn't open even though government advice was that they should open. The councillor responsible said they expected there would be long queues, who would have thought it.
To be fair they have kept up with grey and green bin collections.
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Some very interesting reading on Guardian website today, how some other nations view UK response.
I think the country is getting what it voted for quite frankly. And it isn’t pretty. We are already held to ransom on most things. Going for the cheap, outsourcing everything, selling off assets, being beholden to other nations to keep our crumbling infrastructure going while the profits fund Nationally owned infrastructures elsewhere. You couldn’t make this shambles up to be honest, if it was a book, people would consider it fiction.
How the ruddy hell we got from VE Day to this state in two generations beggars belief. No criticism of individual hard working folks like Doctors, Nurses, Care Workers, Posties, Emergency Services, Shopworkers Etc...... It’s the pathetically inadequate political parties and greedy policies that underpin this shameful outcome.
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Dreading tonight's News Special. Expecting people to use common sense and "be alert" to the still present dangers of Covid 19 is another disaster waiting to happen. I was fully prepared for lockdown to continue at least until the end of May. I thought there would be some easing of restrictions going into June and then a reassessment of the situation depending upon the outcome of this......I have been woefully naive in my expectations 😣
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We've been voting for this for decades, I’m afraid. I’ve no wish to be political but I think we all know when outsourcing and selling assets started with the aim of appearing to make us a more affluent country with individuals having cash to splash.
The truth is that under the surface we're poor in terms of reserves and resilience due largely to lack of manufacturing ability, defence and law enforcement. I'd like to think the present situation will serve as a wake up call to this and future Govts but I doubt much will change.🙁
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I always find it a little sad that folk and particularly the press and other media are so keen to run our country down. Focusing on the negatives rather than the positives, because they make for more punchy headlines. The grass always seems to be greener elsewhere, according to them. I am constantly amazed why so many want to come here, rather than the other places that are so much better.
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I have to agree with you, while we were/are unprepared in terms of certain things like PPE but when talking to Italian friends and relations one thing is clear, their health service was overwhelmed.
Their doctors had to make literally life and death decisions, who would get treatment based on that person's likelihood of survival and who would be made as comfortable as possible but no specialised care.
As far we are told there was spare 2000+ beds capacity at the peak a few weeks back and thankfully our NHS staff appeared not to have had to make those life and death decisions, everyone who needed treatment got it.
A few weeks go myself and the household had to be tested, booked it one day, tested the next within 10 minutes of driving in, results the next. People I told that to in Italy were astounded at the speed of that and the organisational smoothness, certainly not their experience at all.
But that is in the past what we need to do now is get through this and keep to the restrictions.
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I agree ,, every one who does not have to make the real decisions for this country can always "expound" their ideas ,normally after the event
As we should all know by now, no-one anywhere has got it right ,as four months ago it was almost unheard of
Some have not got it as wrong as others
But then all countries ,have very diferent populations and how they are spread arround the different areas of land mass ,
As is said hindsight is wonderfull
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I'm with you there Steve, they get right across Europe to France and you would think they've arrived in utopia, but no they risk life and limb to get across the channel to, in there mind paradise its a shame some people just have to keep knocking our country, but when they are quoting the likes of the Guardian, Independent, or BBC well my case rest's.
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I think there’s a difference between running our country down and taking a realistic view, Steve. There is good and not so good to be found in all countries and our handling of the C19 crisis has been largely superb.
Yes, there have been one or two blips, notably PPE and some lack of joined up thinking. That lack of PPE relates directly to what I said in my earlier post regarding reserves.
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If as the "experts" predict we are in for a very bumpy ride for quite a few years yet?
The one big thing that could now be canceled is HS2 as the much vaunted extra capacity will not be needed ,that will help by saving billions of pounds ,
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