Course content

Researchers believe that hoarding disorder affects one in every 50 people, although it may impact as many as one in every 20. In those over 60 years old, the prevalence is as high as 6 per cent. With an aging population, rates of those with hoarding disorder are feared to continue to increase. It creates particular challenges for attorneys to identify whether the donor has capacity to decide their care, where they live and  to make decisions about their possessions.  What role does the NHS or social services play in finding a solution? Failure to take steps to safeguard the donor runs the risk of prosecution under s44 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005

About SFE masterclasses

A leading expert will talk to you for about 30 minutes and then there will be an open session for questions and issues where you can put the expert on the spot and get to the bottom of your issues.

A week after the session, you will be sent a top 10 practical tips that you can use in your day to day practice.

About the speaker

Caroline Bielanska TEP, Independent Consultant Solicitor provides support and advice for law firms, to troubleshoot in complex cases involving vulnerable clients, where the interplay between their capacity, care and finance arrangements, care funding, safeguarding and disputes may arise. Caroline is author of numerous leading text books on advising the older client and capacity, including Cretney & Lush on Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney (Lexis Nexis), The Practitioners Guide to Court of Protection Practice (Bloomsbury), The Elderly Client Handbook (The Law Society) and Elderly Clients- A Precedent Manual (Jordans). She sits on the Law Society’s Mental Health & Disability Committee and the Court of Protection’s Rules Review Committee.

Caroline won the Trusted Advisor of the Year 2017 and the Vulnerable Client Practice Award 2017 in STEP’s Private Client Awards. She was a finalist in 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 in the Vulnerable Client Practice Award category.