With almost a million people living with dementia in the UK, the emotional and practical challenges the condition brings are being felt by families every single day. As a recent BBC News article highlighted, dementia can change lives very suddenly – sometimes without much warning. That’s why a little bit of planning ahead can make a huge difference, helping to protect you and your loved ones for the future.
One of the most important steps you can take is to make sure your legal and financial paperwork is sorted before it’s needed. If you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself and don’t have the right documents in place, it can make managing your affairs much more complicated and stressful for those around you.
What documents do you need?
A key document to think about is a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). An LPA allows someone you trust – usually a family member or close friend – to make decisions on your behalf if you’re ever unable to do so yourself, whether because of mental or physical incapacity.
Your chosen 'attorney' can step in to help with things like paying bills, managing your bank account, or making decisions about your medical treatment, always acting in your best interests and according to your wishes.
Without an LPA in place, your loved ones would have to apply to the Court of Protection to be able to manage things for you – a process that can be expensive, stressful and take many months.
What happens if you don’t have the right paperwork in place?
Without an LPA, no one automatically has the legal right to make decisions for you – not even your closest family. This could mean simple but vital things, like paying your rent, mortgage or utility bills, become impossible. It might also mean decisions about your medical treatment or care are made without clear guidance about what you would have wanted.
Putting an LPA in place while you are still healthy gives you peace of mind. It means you stay in control by setting out your wishes in advance – and it makes things so much easier and clearer for the people who care about you.
At the same time, it’s also worth making sure your will is up to date, so that your wishes are respected when the time comes.
Need more advice?
Downs Solicitors can help draft a will or a Lasting Power of Attorney, as well as revisit and update any existing paperwork.
Contact us to see how we can help.
Contact Liz Dalgetty
