LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY

 Sadly, we can become unable to manage our own affairs at any stage of life through either, an accident, ill health, the onset of mental illness or simply old age, which may make the every day routines of paying bills, managing a budget and making financial decisions difficult and stressful, and in some cases impossible. In view of the fact that incapacity may be due to various circumstances and is not dependent on age or other ‘foreseeable’ circumstances then it makes sense to say, “Prevention is better than cure”.

It is unpleasant to contemplate that you may ever lose the ability to manage your own affairs. However, by signing a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), you can ensure that if this should ever happen, your affairs will be looked after by someone you yourself have chosen. When you make a Lasting Power of Attorney you can choose to appoint an Attorney(s), that is a person or persons you trust who will take over your affairs to either, act now and continue to do so even if you should become mentally incapable, or you can simply stipulate that your Attorney(s) will only take over if this should be necessary in the future.

Lasting Power of Attorney – Property & affairs

 This document allows you to choose an Attorney(s) to make decisions about how to spend your money and the way your property and affairs are managed. Once registered and unless you have put a restriction on it, this type of Lasting Power of Attorney can be used by the person(s) you have appointed straight away.

 Whenever an Attorney makes a decision under a Lasting Power of Attorney, by Law they must act in the best interests of the Donor (that is ‘you’ the person who has appointed the Attorney(s)).

 If you want to make plans for the future, creating a Lasting Power of Attorney will allow you to choose one or more persons to act as decision-makers. A Lasting Power of Attorney can be made by anyone aged 18 or over, but can only be used after it has been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.