planning ahead
A national movement to protect Scotland’s families through early Power of Attorney conversations
Planning Ahead
Launching on Carers Rights Day, 20th November 2025, Planning Ahead is rooted in the Trust’s belief that solicitors are the most trusted professionals to help families take this vital step. Our aim is to work with firms across Edinburgh, and then more widely across Scotland, to make conversations about Power of Attorney part of everyday planning, not a last resort and one that comes too late in many cases.
Planning Ahead is a new national campaign spearheaded by the Dementia Trust in partnership with Dementia Trust Chair Emeritus Sandra McDonald & Professor June Andrews to promote early planning for Powers of Attorney.
A Scotland where no family faces crisis alone - because everyone has the power to choose, even when life changes unexpectedly.
OUR Vision
To work alongside solicitors, partners and families to transform how Scotland prepares for the future. Ensuring no one loses control simply because the conversation wasn’t had in time. The Planning Ahead campaign encourages people of all ages and stages of life to plan ahead for the care they may need in the future.
OUR MISSION
“The phrase I hear most from families in crisis: ‘I wish we’d had Power of Attorney”
Sandra McDonald
Take the lead
inform and empower families to plan ahead
The Dementia Trust is calling on Scotland’s legal community to help families act early and put Power of Attorney protection in place before it's too late.
Join in our ‘Power of Attorney Month’ February 2026.
Why Power of Attorney mATTERS
Behind every statistic is a family trying to
hold things together.
Most people don’t put a Power of Attorney in place, not because they don’t care, because life is busy. Because capacity feels like something that belongs to later. Because we all assume there will be time.
But when capacity changes without a POA,
families cannot make medical or financial decisions
bank accounts freeze
care decisions stall
guardianship becomes costly, stressful and slow
people lose the dignity of having their choices upheld
Solicitors know this reality better than anyone. They see the emotional, legal and financial impact every time a client reaches crisis without protection.
Planning Ahead is about changing the narrative to that story.
Expert Insight & Support
Chair Emeritus and former Public Guardian of Scotland
Sandra McDonald
Sandra McDonald a leading authority on mental capacity, guardianship and Power of Attorney. She combines deep legal expertise with a long-standing commitment to supporting adults whose ability to make decisions may be impaired. She served as the Public Guardian for Scotland from 2004 to 2018, overseeing the national system established under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. This ensured the safeguarding of thousands, while supporting their attorneys and supervising their guardians. With professional foundations in nursing, law and public-sector leadership,
Sandra brings a uniquely human and practical perspective to issues that can otherwise feel daunting for families. She is the author of The Power of Attorney: The One-Stop Guide, Power of Attorney: The One-Stop Guide: All you need to know: granting it, using it or relying on it | Sandra McDonald | EX-PG Ltd, making an often-technical process accessible and understandable. Sandra has played a central leadership role within the Dementia Trust, serving as Chair and now Chair Emeritus. In both roles her clarity, humanity and rigour have shaped the Trust’s approach to rights, autonomy and protection. Her expertise is at the heart of the Power of Attorney campaign, helping people understand not just the legal mechanics but the reassurance and security that timely PoA planning can bring to families affected by dementia.
“Planning Ahead offers an opportunity for both the legal community and the third sector to demonstrate how collaboration can help ease wider social pressures and provide the vital support families need when planning for the future.”
Prof. June Andrews OBE
Dementia Expert, Coach & Author
Professor June Andrews OBE is one of the UK’s most widely respected dementia specialists, known internationally for her practical, evidence-based and deeply person-centred approach to improving the lives of people living with dementia. Her career spans clinical nursing, academic leadership, international consultancy, policy influence, and authorship, giving her a rare breadth of experience across the whole dementia landscape.
As former Director of the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling, she shaped much of the UK’s thinking on dementia-friendly design, service improvement and best practice across health and social care. Her best-selling books , including Dementia: The One-Stop Guide Dementia: The One-Stop Guide | Best Book on Dementia and Alzheimer's, remain essential reading for families, practitioners and policy-makers navigating the complex realities of dementia. June has also served as an Advisor to the Dementia Trust, offering informed, steady, and compassionate guidance grounded in decades of frontline and strategic experience. In the Power of Attorney campaign, she will provide participating Lawyers Offices with clear, authoritative insight into why early planning matters, how it protects rights and dignity, and what families can do to ensure the wishes of people living with dementia are fully respected.
As a Planning Ahead partner your firm will receive a range of benefits and support
CAMPAIGN PARTNER
As a Planning Ahead partner your firm will receive a range of benefits and support
Specialist dementia and capacity training from Sandra McDonald and Professor June Andrews
Access to resources and conversation tools
Recognition as a founding campaign partner
Opportunities to shape national rollout
Alignment with a purpose-driven national movement
Too frequently we hear from relatives who say their loved one always intended to make a power-of-attorney but never got round to it. Things then become much more complicated and people have to go to court to apply for the court’s approval to manage things at a time which may already be traumatic for other reasons.
THE POWER OF ATTORNEY
You can help lead the way and define how Power of Attorney is shaped across Scotland going forward. Join us as we move to make real change in the lives of everyone who may need care in their future. If your firm is based in or around Edinburgh, please join us as a Planning Ahead campaign partner. You’ll be signing up to participate in our ‘Power of Attorney Month’ in February 2026.
Sign-up today or get in touch to discuss how your firm can be a part of this empowering campaign. Email sonia@dementiatrust.org or complete the form to your right.
LEAD THE WAY
Be the first to know when our public campaign launches.
Please see our privacy policy for details of how we will use your information and keep it safe and secure. You can unsubscribe at any time.