She helps us better understand how Nidus uses technologies to help families register their documents on-line. What Nidus is doing is different, innovative and something that has caught the eye of many groups around the world.
Listen to our podcast to learn more. During our conversation, Joanne talks about:
About Joanne Taylor, Executive Director and Registrar at Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry.
Joanne Taylor is the Executive Director of the Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre (formerly Representation Agreement Resource Centre), a non-government, charitable organization that assists the public with personal planning. She is also the Registrar of the Nidus Registry, a centralized repository for personal planning documents.
Joanne has over 30 years experience in the non-profit sector. She has worked for the Alzheimer Society of BC as Director of Regional Services and for the People’s Law School as Director of Publications and Special Projects. Joanne has been a volunteer with hospice/palliative care and served on the Board of the Community Living Society which supports people with developmental disabilities.
As a volunteer, she chaired the Representation Agreement Task Group, the planning/policy group for implementation of the Representation Agreement Act (1993 to 2000). Joanne has been helping people learn about, make and use Representation Agreements since 1993.
Joanne holds a Masters degree in Adult Education and Counselling Psychology with an emphasis in Gerontology.
Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry
The Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre is a non-profit, charitable organization and was incorporated in 1995 as the Representation Agreement Resource Centre (RARC).
Nidus/RARC was founded by citizens and community groups who were involved in the community-based reform of British Columbia’s adult guardianship legislation. These groups wanted to ensure the public had a resource for information on Representation Agreements and other personal planning tools. The founding groups were the Alzheimer Society of BC, BC Association for Community Living, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities, Council of Senior Citizen’s Organizations, Family Link, and Network of Burnaby Seniors.
In 2008, RARC changed its name to the Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre to better reflect the broadening scope of its work as a resource centre, which had expanded beyond just Representation Agreements. Nidus is a Latin term for nest, a symbol of safety, support, and self-development.
Nidus is currently the only community-based resource in Canada devoted to personal planning. Its existence sets British Columbia apart as a leader in addressing the critical needs of an aging population.
Nidus is the expert on Representation Agreements, which are a legal model for supported decision making. B.C.’s Representation Agreement Act inspired Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2008) which calls on governments to implement legislation that ensures all adults receive support with decision making without the need to take away or restrict their rights. The Convention has been ratified by Canada.
Nidus serves the entire province of British Columbia and is located in Vancouver.
Nidus provides
- public legal education on personal planning and related matters.
- training for volunteers and groups.
- problem solving and coaching in support of best practices for attorneys, representatives and monitors.
- policy consultation for third parties.
Nidus also operates a centralized Registry for personal planning documents in partnership with Juricert Inc. of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Nidus relies on donations and modest fees for services. Over the years, Nidus has received funding from a variety of sources for specific projects. See the Funders Section of the website for information on project funders past and present. Nidus is currently making efforts to establish core funding to provide security for the Resource Centre’s future.
The mandate of the Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre is to provide education, support, and assistance to British Columbians with personal planning for the purpose of:
- Enabling adults, who need help with decision making today, to use Representation Agreements as a legal alternative to adult guardianship.
- Enabling adults who want to plan for the future to use Representation Agreements and Enduring Powers of Attorney, in the event of mental incapacity due to illness, injury, or disability.
We want to hear from you! Send us an email or check out our Information and Self-Help sections for possible answers to your questions.
For inquiries about Nidus and Representation Agreements please email info@nidus.ca
For inquiries about the Registry service please email:
registry@nidus.ca
Mailing Address:
Nidus
1440 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6H 1M8
Local: 604.408.7414. Toll free: 1.877.267.5552 Visit Website
Joanne Taylor has a true passion to help residents of British Columbia learn about and take actions relating to their Power of Attorney issues and documents.
