A recent poll suggests only 17 to 20 per cent of Canadians have documented end-of-life plans in wills and personal directives, even though 82 per cent admit such planning reduces stress for loved ones. And half of Canadians say they are unsure where to go for information or advice.
To help bridge that knowledge gap, University of Alberta law students and Covenant Health are holding a free public workshop to educate the community about personal directives and help them begin the planning process.
Co-led by Allison Fieldberg, experiential learning program lead for the Faculty of Law, the evening begins with an introductory session explaining the purpose of a personal directive — a legal document that appoints a trusted person to make non-financial, personal decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.
Volunteer students working in pairs will then ask guiding questions of individual community members and take notes, afterwards referring them to on-site lawyers to complete the process if they so choose. Before completion, all directives will be reviewed and executed by supervising lawyer Paul Foisy of Foisy Law.
The pop-up law clinic takes place March 18 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Edmonton’s Covenant Community Health Centre.