Sir, – I read with anger and sadness John Gillen’s and Anne Marie Lyons’s letters (Letters to the Editor, July 7th and 8th) on attempts to register enduring power of attorney. I have heard similar tales from friends and acquaintances.As a disability campaigner in earlier years, I pushed for the wards-of-court legislation to be updated and the decision support service (DSS) established, in order to give people with diminished mental capacity a greater say in important life decisions without high legal expenses. It is extremely sad that registering an enduring power of attorney has become a Kafkaesque labyrinth for the older or disabled person and his/her relatives.[ ‘Can I sidestep pesky and expensive legal bills on enduring power of attorney?’Opens in new window ]The “Nothing about us without us” mantra seems to have been forgotten – not to mention accessibility. The DSS insists that everything must be done online even though this creates extra difficulties in terms of ageing users and their computers, together with the need to bring versions of the document around different professionals and family members. The DSS does not appear to provide any human assistance and has alienated the solicitors who might provide this. In setting deadlines it takes no account of delays at its end – friends tell me it can take six months or a year to get a response – and by then the medical assessment may be out of date. So many complex forms and deadlines cause considerable stress to older people and families assisting – not to mention the time involved.What is the point of a service which seems to create even more of the problems it was set up to solve? This old person will not be taking out enduring power of attorney under the present system – I will be muddling through in the old way. – Yours, etc, MÁIRÍDE WOODS,Sutton,Dublin 13