Áine Flynn

speaker

169 appearances 2 recordings 1 series first heard Apr 2026 last heard 10 Aug

Áine Flynn’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 1.

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The Claire Byrne Show · Have you established your power of attorney? · 10 Aug 2026 podcast

The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk.

With Aviva Insurance.

Yes, thanks, Ciara.

There is a widespread misperception that if you lose your decision-making capacity at a future time in life, something which you hope never happens, that the close family member or your spouse or partner is simply able to step seamlessly in and assume a legal authority to make decisions for you in relation to your property and affairs or your personal welfare.

But that has actually never been the case, not outside of a formal legal arrangement.

which in the past could have been the wards of court system, which has now been repealed and is being phased out, or by way of an enduring power of attorney.

So in the decision support service, we are strongly encouraging people to plan ahead by way of making an enduring power of attorney or EPA.

Well, you grant the control.

So just to deal with some of the basics, when you make an EPA, so you're somebody in the whole of your health with full capacity to do this and you are planning ahead in the way that you are naming, you're called the donor for these purposes because you're granting an authority.

And you're giving it to somebody in your life, somebody that you know and trust who's called your attorney.

So perhaps a confusing term, it doesn't mean lawyer.

It literally means that trusted person belonging to you.

And you were saying that if at a future point it's proven that I have lost the ability to exercise my right to make these decisions...

then you're the person who's going to be legally authorised to make them for me in the way that I am now granting in this document.

So it's a way of assuming control when you are fine so that your wishes and preferences, your will and preferences and what you want to happen will be understood and respected in future.

Yeah, well, there can be a frequent misperception and, you know, stats show that about 30% plus of people simply think they're going to be able to access the bank accounts, pay your taxes, pay your bills, take care of selling property, perhaps make an application for fair deal.

And outside of that authorising arrangement to do so, that won't be possible.

All I hope isn't lost.

But the alternative would mean an application to court, now the circuit court, under the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act, so that that same person that you know and trust might be appointed instead as your decision-making representative.

But I think most people would agree they would prefer to avoid the uncertainty, the expense and, frankly, the stress, which comes even with a well-managed court application.

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