Oireachtas to repeal 144-year-old lunacy act today

The Oireachtas is expected to officially repeal the 144-year-old lunacy act today.

The new Assisted Decision Making Act will be brought into law which will give every citizen the right to have their say in how they are cared for.

The new rules will also bring in legal recognition of advance healthcare directives and scrap the old Ward of Court system.

Mary Condell of the support and advocacy service for older people Sage explains how the new law works: So it starts with the presumption that anyone is able to make a decision unless there is some clear evidence to the contrary.

“And then you work with the person to enhance their capacity, to facilitate them so that they can exercise their right to make decisions about themselves for themselves,

“It’s essentially what Sage says in its motto which is ‘ nothing about me without me’”.