Sometimes, people who are unwell, such as those with illnesses which affect their memory (Alzheimer's disease or Dementia), those with learning difficulties, or who have mental health problems, may find themselves in a position where their ability to make decisions for themselves is questioned. This may be because they do not understand that what they are doing is not good for them; they do not realise that it might make them ill or get them into trouble.
People can also lack capacity if they are unable to communicate in any way; for example, if they're in a coma or if they have severe brain damage. In this case, it may be necessary for someone else, such as an advocate or a Judge to make decisions for them by making a court order.
In some countries, like the United Kingdom, laws exist which tell those working with people whose capacity might be in doubt, what they must do and how to decide if someone is capable of making their own decisions. In the UK, this law is called the Mental Capacity Act (2005). It lists 5 rules which must be used as a guide; in simple terms, they are:
This law also allows people who have capacity, to pick someone else to make their decisions for them, in the case that they can't do it themselves.
Supposing a person is unable to make decisions for themselves, what happens then? In the UK (and many other countries) there is a legal framework to make sure no-one takes advantage of the said person. It often consists of a physician or psychiatrist dealing with the person in question, a solicitor representing the person, and a solicitor representing the "public interest" (the state). Meetings are held at agreed times, say once every three months. The purpose is to make sure that decisions taken are in the person's interest.
Judy Kennedy
Judith Kennedy (October 25, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American politician and businesswoman. She was a member of the Democratic Party until 2015. In 2011, Kennedy was elected Mayor of Newburgh, New York, serving in the office until her death in 2018. She was born in Salmon, Idaho. In the 1990s, she worked for Hewlett-Packard.
Kennedy died under hospice care of ovarian cancer on April 15, 2018 in Newburgh at the age of 73.
Newburgh, New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. It is the location of Washington's Headquarters. Interstate 84 goes very close to the city.
There is a long history of racism in Newburgh and the Hudson Valley. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was rioting in Newburgh because the police killed a black person.
Spencertown, New York
Spencertown is a hamlet in the town of Austerlitz, Columbia County, New York, United States. Its ZIP code is 12165.
Colony of Aden
The Colony of Aden or Aden Colony ( "") was a British Crown colony from 1937 to 1963. It was located in the south of contemporary Yemen. It consisted of the port of Aden and its surroundings (an area of ).
Before 1937, Aden had been governed as part of British India. Under the Government of India Act 1935 the territory was detached from British India, and was made a separate colony of the United Kingdom; this separation took effect on 1 April 1937.
On 18 January 1963, the colony was reconstituted as the State of Aden (Arabic: ولاية عدن "Wilāyat ʿAdan") within the new Federation of South Arabia. The federation in turn became the People's Republic of South Yemen on 30 November 1967, marking the end of British rule.
The hinterland of the Colony of Aden was separately governed as the Aden Protectorate.
Alfred M. Gray Jr.
Alfred M. Gray Jr. (born June 22, 1928) is a retired United States Marine Corps general. He served as the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after 41 years of service.
General Gray was promoted to general and became Commandant of the Marine Corps on July 1, 1987. His appointment as Commandant of the Marine Corps was recommended by Jim Webb, then Secretary of the Navy.
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018) was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals). Mauger rode for several British teams – Wimbledon Dons, Newcastle Diamonds, Belle Vue Aces, Exeter Falcons, and the Hull Vikings. He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Mauger died on 16 April 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia at the age of 78.
Big Timber, Montana
Big Timber is a city in, and the county seat of Sweet Grass County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,641 at the 2010 census.
It became the county seat in 1895.
The Boulder River joins the Yellowstone River at Big Timber.
Bourbonnais, Illinois
Bourbonnais, Illinois is a village located within Kankakee County. The population is said to be around 18,500 people as of 2016. According to the 2010 census, Bourbonnais has a total area of , all land.
The town expanded in the 1800s, when John Jacob Astor founded fur trade companies in Bourbonnais.
Since 2002, it has become home of the summertime training camp of the Chicago Bears.
Dana Rohrabacher
Dana Tyrone Rohrabacher (born June 21, 1947) is an American politician and speechwriter. He was a member of the U.S House of Representatives representing . He is a Republican, he served as a speechwriter and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1988. He narrowly lost his re-election bid in 2018 to Democrat Harley Rouda.
Randy Neugebauer
Robert Randolph "Randy" Neugebauer (born December 24, 1949) is an American politician. He was the U.S. Representative for , having served from 2003 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party.
According to a 2011 survey by the "National Journal", Neugebauer was "the most conservative" member of the House.
On September 17, 2015, Neugebauer announced he would not seek reelection to an eighth term in the 2016 elections.
As of April 2018, Neugebauer was the only person under consideration to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Trump Administration.
John Oliver
John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is an English comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor and television host. In 2014, Oliver began hosting the HBO series "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver".
Oliver's work in "Last Week Tonight" has become very popular. His work has had a large impact on American culture and politics, which has been called the "John Oliver Effect".
In 2019, he was the voice of Zazu in the 2019 drama-live action remake "The Lion King".
Oliver was born on 23 April 1977 in Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, to Carole and Jim Oliver. His father was a school headmaster and social worker, and his mother was a music teacher. Both of his parents are originally from Liverpool, Merseyside. His uncle was the composer Stephen Oliver. His father's great-grandfather, William Boyd Carpenter was the Bishop of Ripon and court chaplain to Queen Victoria. Oliver learned to play the viola as a child.
Since childhood, he has been a fan of Liverpool FC, noting in interviews that "my mum's family are from Knotty Ash and my dad's family are from the Wirral, so supporting Liverpool was very much not a choice". Oliver learned in Bedford at the Mark Rutherford School.
After secondary school, he studied at Christ's College, Cambridge. While he was a student there in the mid-to-late 1990s, Oliver was a part of the Cambridge Footlights, the university's club for theatre run by students of Cambridge University. David Mitchell and Richard Ayoade were also in the club. In 1997, he became the club's vice president. In 1998, Oliver graduated from Christ's College with a degree in English.
Chris Rea