Important covid question

[ACW]

11 hours ago, XTR2Turbo said:

Out of interest has Covid been the trigger for anyone to write or update their will ? 

David - I would take very good car of your car collection and maintain them very well

 

I really ought to. It certainly made me consider death a lot more than I ever have, what would I want to happen etc. I cant imagine will whitnessing and all that to be particualrly easy with social distancing to thats been my excuse not to explore it further yet - but I imagine there are plenty of tech ways around this.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

1 hour ago, Howard said:

Motco, yes that's right. If I do have to have a live vaccine I have to stop using the Imraldi/Humira, which is a biologic, for a while.

Not sure it's a practical option for my wife as she's having trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and denosumab. The last is a six-monthly dose. She also has fulvestrant but as there's no ...mab in the name that could be okay I suppose. If she remains shielded after the vaccine is widely used (if ever!) then the herd immunity effect will protect her and everyone else on the same drug regime. Swings and roundabouts...

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

From a practical point of view, having talked about it with a few senior medical and/or pharmaceutical people, the (where possible) keys are to try and get yourself in the best health possible beforehand, paying attention to lung capacity/breathing related aspects.

 

In preparation for being ill, you could start the routine anyway, but is absolutely critical if you do have symptoms, are breathing/lung mobility exercises.

 

A lot of feedback seems to show that those that have the worst outcomes, (discounting underlying conditions), are those that allow lung function to be impaired the most, un particular allowing the fibrosis to build up, especially if it gets to the point of ventilation being required. (some of the stats for likely outcomes if you need ventilation were appalling). 

 

The exercise when ill advice was a little counterintuitive if your at a point where you just want to curl up and rest, but the maintenance of lung function makes such a huge difference to the prognosis it's a must.

 

Here's a link to one of the videos of the breathing exercise I was sent. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8199355/NHS-doctor-video-coronavirus-breathing-technique-shared-23-000-times.html#v-8438466672995645167

(Please excuse the Daily Fail content wrapped around it!)

[jeff oakley]

As others have raised wills etc I think it is vital that everyone has one even without the Covid panic making people suddenly see their mortality.

 

Never use a cheap will writing service, they are cheap for a reason. Ours was very complicated with multiple properties and investments but was well under a £1k. Our solicitor also saved us her fee by making sure we did everything required in law and used allowances properly.

 

For that we have included Power Of Attorney which gives our daughter the ability to run things for us in the event of hospitalization etc.

 

We also included a "living will section" so that we are allowed to die rather than be hooked up to a machine and as others have said make sure that everything is easily found for those left behind.

 

If you have small children make sure they have a nominated person to look after them if both parents die. No guarantee that social services will allow that but a great start.

 

My parents were not at all organised but had wills, yet when they died we kept finding bank books and shares that all had money on them yet we never knew. Had we have not cleaned to house ourselves that would in all probability got lost.

 

It makes sense but never forget that most people live to a good age and get to spend most of it anyway.

 

 

[Stuart]

Depends how complicated your will is. Wife and I have simple mirror wills that leave everything to each other or everything to the kids in equal shares should we both snuff it. No other claimants or complications. Wrote them myself using a template and I'm sure they're fine.

 

As regards 'when to get it', I read today that there's an increasing expert view that ventilators may not be the best treatment for this. Whether that's right or wrong, I think it adds fuel to the view that the longer you leave it the more they're gonna know. 

[Alan France]

46 minutes ago, jeff oakley said:

Never use a cheap will writing service, they are cheap for a reason.

...

For that we have included Power Of Attorney which gives our daughter the ability to run things for us in the event of hospitalization etc.

Yes and yes. A professional can make sure things like pension funds go to the kids and avoid the estate.

 

POA is now in two elements, property and welfare, costs but worth it at the appropriate time.

[Stuart]

POA can be easily done online on a Gov website for about 50 quid a head (was double that when I did it but they reduced).

Pensions, read here

 

Don't really see why you need to pay a solicitor to sort either of those. But you pays your money you takes your choice.

 

 

 

 

[Blatman]

11 minutes ago, Stuart said:

POA can be easily done online on a Gov website for about 50 quid a head (was double that when I did it but they reduced).

Pensions, read here

 

Don't really see why you need to pay a solicitor to sort either of those. But you pays your money you takes your choice.

 

 

 

 

 

+1 Went through this a couple of years ago for both parents. Not difficult, tedious. No need for a solicitor BUT, with belt and braces firmly tightened... once complete we took the forms to a solicitor on a "fixed fee" one-off interview basis which I think was 50 quid plus VAT.

The solicitor confirmed the forms were correct and ready to be submitted so we did. The appropriate powers were granted and we were all set. 

[Blatman]

8 hours ago, Man On The Clapham Omnibus said:

Howard, are you advised never to have 'live' vaccines because of your immunosuppressants? My Good Lady is on immunotherapy - different, I know - and she cannot have live vaccines. I hope this CV19 vaccine, if and when, is a 'killed' vaccine. As it is we're under shielding rules and it's a pain!

 

'Flu vaccine (a corona-virus lets not forget) is inert. I hoe that when a vaccine does become available it too is inert and as such is available to as many people as possible.

To take your earlier point about vaccine versus treatment, I think (for what that's worth...) that treatment will arrive in the mid-term, hopefully by the end of the year. If the NHS is confident they can treat people and have good outcomes that makes a huge difference.

The only issue there is if we do get a successful treatment regime this could lead to scientists taking their foot off the gas developing a vaccine.

[jeff oakley]

3 hours ago, Stuart said:

POA can be easily done online on a Gov website for about 50 quid a head (was double that when I did it but they reduced).

Pensions, read here

 

Don't really see why you need to pay a solicitor to sort either of those. But you pays your money you takes your choice.

 

 

 

 

Everything can be done yourself you are right but the more people who are beneficiaries and the more you have at risk.

 

I knew a guy who loved his wife and left everything to her and she to him. He died and 6 years later she remarried she died shortly after, The three kids from the first marriage got nothing he took the lot. They had not had anyone point out what might happen and neither would have wanted what did happen.

 

As for POA again, if there is just one sibling pretty easy but where there is friction in the family (as there was in my family between my sister and I) getting every single detail correct especially how it would be implemented at the appropriate time was crucial. 

 

My sister sent me a facebook message to say mum had died (I was in Cuba) but managed to ring to ask where the safe key was two hours later.

 

A good solid will worth every penny

[XTR2Turbo]

Yes I definitely need to write a will and have been mindful of it and putting it off for ages. Not married and don’t have kids so actually not so easy what to do with.  People say charity but that too can be a challenge. 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

On a brighter note - unless you're a dragon - Happy St George's Day folks!

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

15 hours ago, Blatman said:

 

'Flu vaccine (a corona-virus lets not forget) is inert. I hoe that when a vaccine does become available it too is inert and as such is available to as many people as possible.

To take your earlier point about vaccine versus treatment, I think (for what that's worth...) that treatment will arrive in the mid-term, hopefully by the end of the year. If the NHS is confident they can treat people and have good outcomes that makes a huge difference.

The only issue there is if we do get a successful treatment regime this could lead to scientists taking their foot off the gas developing a vaccine.

That's right Blatters, but herpes zoster virus vaccine is a live vaccine. I'm unsure as to whether 'flu is indeed a coronvirus and whether that feature is important or not. Every Google search asking if influenza is a coronavirus come back with lots of stuff about CV19 and how it's not 'flu. We'll see what emerges from the labs and hope the vaccine is suitable for all. All except anti-vaxxers obviously!

[Blatman]

12 hours ago, Man On The Clapham Omnibus said:

Every Google search asking if influenza is a coronavirus come back with lots of stuff about CV19 and how it's not 'flu. We'll see what emerges from the labs and hope the vaccine is suitable for all. All except anti-vaxxers obviously!

 

My Google-fu is strong   I searched for "the influenza virus structure" and got these links and lots of pictures!

https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/viruses/influenzavirus.html

and

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074182/

which has this description...

By electron microscopy, influenza A and B viruses are virtually indistinguishable. They are spherical or filamentous in shape, with the spherical forms on the order of 100 nm in diameter and the filamentous forms often in excess of 300 nm in length. The influenza A virion is studded with glycoprotein spikes of HA and NA, in a ratio of approximately four to one, projecting from a host cell–derived lipid membrane.

 

The searchmeister still has it... he just can't remember where he put it...

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Brilliant Googling Blatters, but is it coronaform? Ball-shaped, yes, but as if a crown? Hmmm...

This Wikipaedia link on the subject of corona viruses as a genre mentions influenza but not as an example of the type. If fact it categorically doesn't mention 'flu in its list of diseases caused by said virus category : -

Quote

Coronaviruses are a group of related viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses include some cases of the common cold (which is caused also by certain other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses), while more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. Symptoms in other species vary: in chickens, they cause an upper respiratory tract disease, while in cows and pigs they cause diarrhoea. There are as yet no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.

 

To paraphrase the Scottish verdict : - "Not proven"