The children of former TV pundit Jimmy Hill have revealed that their father is currently suffering from dementia and is living in a nursing home.
The 85-year-old, who played for Brentford and Fulham during his career, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's back in 2008 and gave joint powers of attorney to his current wife and a solicitor in 2005 when he was still in good health, meaning that his children have no say in the matter.
Jamie and Joanna, Hill's children from his second marriage, discovered this only when their father was deemed too ill to look after himself and are keen to raise awareness of this issue.
"It is a shame that we as his children have no rights over his treatment and care," Joanna Hill told The Telegraph. "Children whose parents have married more than once should be made aware that they will be unable to influence their affairs if they register a power of attorney. Children should talk to their parents before deterioration sets in about how they want to be looked after and whom they want to be in charge of their lives."
Son Jamie added: "He is the most sprightly physical specimen in the home, but his mind is not what it was. The home is the best place for him. That is not my complaint. My concern is we only discovered in 2008 that power of attorney had been signed three years earlier.
"We said in 2008 that if Bryony's lawyer steps aside and one of us children has joint power of attorney, we will be happy. Unfortunately, that was declined. We were told they had considered giving one of the children power of attorney in 2005, but decided against because it would have been too difficult to choose just one."
Hill, who was manager and chairman at Coventry City, pioneered all-seater stadiums by becoming the first English club chairman to abolish standing at matches. He was also instrumental in implementing the 'three points for a win' rule in 1981.
