What are lasting powers of attorney?

A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a document that enables you to name those you would trust to act in your best interests and look after your affairs if you were to suffer a loss of mental capacity.

Attorneys will typically be family members or friends. Sometimes professional attorneys are appointed. It is important to consider carefully who you appoint and how. These are powerful documents that place a lot of responsibility with those you name.

There are two types of LPA:

LPA for property and financial affairs

This relates to any decision that has a financial impact, including paying your bills to dealing with your property and everything in between. It will enable your attorney(s) to carry out your wishes and access your finances to make decisions in your best interests.

LPA for health and welfare

This relates to any medical decision, ranging from a particular course of treatment to life-or-death decisions if this was ever necessary. This also covers decisions concerning such things as the care you receive and living arrangements.

Why it’s so important to have an LPA

If you don’t have an LPA, your family (including your spouse) is not automatically entitled to make decisions on your behalf. This can become extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive for them at what is already a distressing time.

Having an LPA in place is much like taking out an insurance policy: one hopes it will never be needed, but if your family or loved ones do need to call on it, they really do prove invaluable.

We’re here for you

The paperwork and process of registering LPAs can seem daunting, but we can take you through the process of putting an LPA in place. For more information, contact Robyn Greenway: [email protected] or 01823 652114.

ROBYN GREENWAY

Porter Dodson Solicitors

High Street, Wellington