We take it for granted that we can make our own decisions about a range of issues, large and small, that affect our lives.
For more complex decisions we may seek advice from others but we decide whether we follow that advice or not.
The law presumes adults have the ‘capacity’ to make their own decisions until that is shown not to be the case. ‘Capacity’ means that when making a decision you have the ability to:
understand the facts involved
understand the main choices
weigh up the consequences of the choices
understand how the consequences affect you
communicate your decision
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