A lasting power of attorney (LPA) lets you choose someone to act on your behalf and to make decisions for you if you lose your mental capacity – perhaps due to an illness, accident or old age. There are two kinds of LPA, one to cover your property and financial affairs and one to cover your health, care and medical decisions. You can set up just one type of LPA, but to be fully protected, we suggest that you have both kinds.

Yes, people often choose very close family members as attorneys. They could be asked to make very important and personal decisions on your behalf, so your attorneys should always be people you trust 100%.

Nobody likes thinking about worst case scenarios, but people can lose mental capacity even at a young age. So it’s best to make sure that your wishes are clear sooner rather than later. When you have an LPA in place, it will minimise delays or misunderstandings in dealing with your affairs if and when it becomes necessary.

If you still have capacity, you can remove an attorney or cancel your complete Lasting Power of Attorney at any time by writing to the Office of the Public Guardian.

Your attorneys for financial matters will be able to manage your bank accounts and investments, talk to your bank and sort out any problems, carry on your business, pay your bills, arrange for any care fees to be paid and make sure you get any money that you’re entitled to.

Your attorneys for health matters can make care or treatment decisions on your behalf, such as who should provide your care, whether you should go to live in a residential home, whether or not you should have a particular operation or medication and what should happen if you become unconscious. If you don’t have an LPA, your family may be consulted by medical professionals, but the final decision-making power would remain with the doctor in charge of your care.