ABSTRACT
Preparing for death or for the possibility of being mentally or physically incapable of handling one’s own affairs is something that few relish. Yet one of the few certainties of life is that all people die and, with improving medical care, increasing numbers survive longer with impaired mental or physical abilities. The legal aspects of these matters, so far as people with HIV infection and disease are concerned, are no different from those applying to any other member of the public and generally no special provisions apply. Nevertheless, a person with AIDS, and those trying to assist them, may well feel that the possibility of death, or of being mentally or physically incapable, may occur sooner rather than later and that preparation therefore ought to be made without delay.
