Decision Making Service for Laois people in Portlaoise

Laois people are being invited to information events to help support people to put planning arrangements in place to ensure their Will and preferences get implemented.

The Portlaoise Lions Club has teamed up with the State-backed Decision Support Service (DSS) on a two-day event in Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise on Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 April 2025 to help local people find out more about advance planning.

The service says it can help all adults who have difficulties with decision-making capacity now, including people with an intellectual disability, mental illness or acquired brain injury, as well as neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. It is also a key service for all adults who wish to ensure that their wishes are understood, protected and respected should they ever lose capacity in the future and includes two key advance planning tools – an enduring power of attorney, and an advanced healthcare directive.

The organisers say the event has been arranged to introduce more people, and relevant professionals, to the new service for adults, young and old, who are keen to ensure their will and preferences are protected now and into the future.

Over the course of the two-days, the DSS will meet with members of the public to support them to set up a DSS account and to start their own individual decision support or advance planning arrangement.

Portlaoise Lions Club President, Sean Cruise, spoke about the event in a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“Our club recognises the importance of this event and is delighted that the Decision Support Service has accepted our invitation to come to Portlaoise on the 8th and 9th April to help support people to put advance planning arrangements in place to ensure their will and preferences are implemented. We look forward to meeting people at the event,” he said.

In total, there are 3,000 arrangements on the DSS online register, with almost 66% of those arrangements being EPAs. This legal arrangement can be set up by an adult with the capacity to appoint someone they know and trust to look after their property and financial affairs, and/or personal welfare decisions if they lose the capacity to make those decisions in the future.

“We are very encouraged to see the uptake in EPAs, which cost €30 to register with us,” said the Director of the Decision Support Service, Áine Flynn.

“Apart from the 2,000 EPAs that are now registered on our system, there are several thousand applications working their way through the submission and registration process, allowing for statutory notice periods and reviews by our team of these important legal instruments.

“When you consider the heightened interest - and that somewhere between just 6-11% of Irish adults have made an EPA - applications will likely only increase. This is why we established an EPA ‘one-stop-shop’ helpdesk, where 10 members of staff deal exclusively with the public - and legal professionals if they are involved - in the making and registration of EPAs.”

The Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission, John Farrelly, said that the Mental Health Commission had worked hard to put the DSS in place and was especially glad that more and more people are using its services to plan ahead.

“We have made every effort over the past number of years to engage proactively and positively with all stakeholders to ensure we can implement this groundbreaking law into a modern and progressive society and our lines of communication remain open.

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“Ultimately, however, we are here for the ordinary person, be it someone putting a decision support arrangement in place, or someone looking to plan ahead at whatever stage of life they find themselves at. The DSS was established under reforming legislation, and evidence that more and more people are using our services is proof that they are seeing the benefits of the Act - and a service - that was always intended to promote the rights and interests of the individual,” he said.

The two-day event in Portlaoise will begin with an open information evening for anyone interested in learning about advance planning at 6pm at the Killeshin Hotel. The following morning (Wednesday 9 April) from 9.30am-10.30am the DSS team will work with individual legal professionals with pre-arranged appointments to support them in helping their clients. From 10.30am-5.30pm the team will work with members of the public on a one-to-one basis with pre-arranged appointments to support them to start their own EPA.

To book your place at these events contact Freephone (01) 211 9750 and ask for the EPA helpdesk; or email EPAhelpdesk@decisionsupportservice.ie.

EVENT DETAILS

Evening information session: Tuesday 8 April 2025

Where: The Killeshin Hotel & Leisure Club, Portlaoise
Time: 6-7pm
Partners: The Lions Club, Portlaoise
EPA helpdesk day: Wednesday 9 April 2025

Where: The Killeshin Hotel & Leisure Club
Time: 9.30-10.30 (limited availability – for professionals etc), and 10.30-5.30pm for the public
Partners: The Lions Club, Portlaoise
What you need to think about and bring with you

Information services and registration teams will be on hand to show applicants how to register with the DSS online and to start your own individual EPA application.

Attendees must bring along their MyGovID login details or, if you do not have a verified MyGovID account, our teams can verify your identity manually. Please bring the following required support documents:

One photo ID (current and in date)
Two proofs of address (dated within the last six months)
Should you require further information on which support documents to bring to verify your identity manually, our Identity Verification form on our website lists accepted documents and the criteria these documents must meet.

In preparation for starting your own EPA application, you will also need to consider some important questions and have some information with you on the day. Please click on the link Checklist to make you EPA ready.

You are welcome to bring your own laptop if you wish and our teams will show you how to access the MyDSS portal on your own device.