The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2015 - Issue 37 | Page 70

PROPERTY

WHEN FARMERS
& THEIR FAMILIES
NEED A LITTLE
HELP FROM THEIR
FRIENDS….
As our population ages, more
people are being diagnosed with
dementia. In this article for The
Farmers Mart, Philip Whitcomb of
Solicitors Moore Blatch, offers some
advice on making sure that the
right support is available, should
this happen to you and yours.
Sir Terry Pratchett OBE,
the well-known author of
fantasy novels, especially
the Discworld series, wrote
earlier this year that “those
of us with dementia need a
little help from our friends”.
There are around 800,000
people in the UK living with
dementia and for people over
the age of 65, one in 14 is
affected. It can, however,
also affect younger people
and there are at least 17,000
people in the UK who develop
dementia before they are
65. For those living in the
countryside, the experience
can be especially isolating.

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Dec/Jan 2015 FarmersMart

Take, for example, Edward
Hodgson, who has run his
dairy farm just outside Malton
in North Yorkshire since the
early 1960s. The business
has been successful and
Edward and his family have
survived the usual trials and
tribulations of running a dairy
business in the UK during the
last four decades including
coping with the dreaded foot
and mouth disease.
Unfortunately, the latest
crisis has hit him hard and
Edward’s son, William
contacted us about what, if
anything could be done to
help. Edward, having worked

hard all his life and recently
celebrated his 75th birthday
surrounded by his children,
grandchildren and one great
grandchild, has been to see
his GP and subsequently has
been diagnosed with the early
stages of dementia.
Sadly, Edward’s condition
amongst the farming
community is not untypical.
The average age of UK
farmers is now 58 and often
there is no succession
plan in place to pass the
farm to the next generation.
Families are increasingly
faced with the issue that a
key and loved member of
the family is suffering from
dementia - alongside the
bigger picture of doing what
is best to protect the farm
and the business for future
generations. So, faced with
a situation like this or the
prospect of such a situation
what can be done to help
you?

‘There are
around
800,000
people in the
UK living with
dementia and
for people
over the age
of 65, one in
14 is affected’
This might sound obvious,
but the key point is do not
bury your head in the sand and
hope the situation will not get
any worse. Talk to someone
and ideally get some decent
legal advice. This should
be from lawyers who really
understand the complexities
of farming businesses. You
need someone who has the
core knowledge of how a
farm is generally run and the
experience to guide you and
the family through the intricate
complexities of succession
planning and asset protection.
In conjunction with your
accountant, you should also

To read more, visit www.farmers-mart.co.uk