I’ve been helping clients for years. My clients in Newcastle upon Tyne and the North East can count on my expertise to help with their Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA's), and advise which Powers would be appropriate for their circumstances. 

 

If you want someone to act on your behalf to make decisions about your money, property, or medical treatment and welfare, you'll need to give them Power of Attorney over your affairs. A Power of Attorney is a legal document where one person (the donor) gives others (their attorneys) the right to make decisions on their behalf. The most commonly used type of Power of Attorney is a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA).

 

You can only set up a Lasting Power of Attorney while you still have the ability to make decisions for yourself, known as 'mental capacity' - so it's worth putting thinking about setting up Lasting Powers of Attorney sooner rather than later. 

 

There are 2 types of Lasting Powers of Attorney:

 

Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney

 

This gives your attorney the power to make decisions about your money and property, including managing bank or building society accounts, paying bills, collecting a pension or benefits and, if necessary, selling your home. This can only be used once registered with the Office of the Public Guardian when it can be used immediately or held until required.

 

Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney

 

A Health and Welfare LPA enables individuals to choose one or more people to make decisions for them relating to their health and personal welfare, such as where they live or their medical treatment, in the event of them becoming mentally incapable. A Health and Welfare LPA also enables individuals to empower their attorneys to give or refuse life-sustaining treatment on their behalf if they so choose.

 

Such an LPA can only be used once it has been registered at the Office of the Public Guardian and the individual concerned has become mentally incapable of making their own decisions.

 

 

We would recommend setting both up at the same time. Many people do this while reviewing or revising their Will, as this is a good time to review all your personal and financial affairs.

 

When do you need a Lasting Power of Attorney?

 

Putting in place a Lasting Power of Attorney can give you peace of mind that someone your trust is in charge of your affairs.The following video contains a special documentary about the importance of Lasting Power of Attorney. Please note clicking on this image will take you to the BBC website.