Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, which sadly means there may come a time when people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are unable to manage their own personal affairs. In such circumstances, it is beneficial to have prepared a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). 

These documents allow for a trusted friend, neighbour, family member or professional to assist you with your finances and health requirements should you be unable to do so yourself. You will still have full access to your own bank accounts and can still make your own decisions if you have capacity, but it means that there is another individual able to step in if you were to need help.

There are two types of LPA

If you put in place both the Property and Financial LPA and the Health and Welfare LPA your attorney (the person you appoint) can assist with many elements of your life, such as making arrangements in relation to care plans, managing your bank account and paying your bills, collecting your prescriptions or speaking with your GP on your behalf. They could even help with the sale of your property if that becomes necessary. 

Your attorney can act for you in all aspects of your life and must act in your best interests, while hopefully taking on some of those everyday tasks and removing many of the worries you may have.

There are many benefits of preparing LPAs while you are fit and healthy and it should be remembered that they cannot be prepared if you were to lose mental capacity. However, even if you have already received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the documents may still be able to be prepared; confirmation will be required from a medical practitioner or assessor that you have sufficient capacity and then you will be able to go ahead. If this is the case, please talk to us and we will be pleased to help.

At the moment it is taking the Office of the Public Guardian - the body that fulfils the administration surrounding LPAs - approximately 20 weeks to register LPAs. This means that they are not documents that can be obtained quickly and we would recommend starting the process sooner rather than later.  
 
While none of us can predict the future, people of all ages - even if they are perfectly fit and healthy - should have an LPA in place. 

There are many situations in which these documents are of real help at a time of stress and crisis.  Unfortunately, we hear of too many circumstances where there is no LPA in place and the person’s loved ones find themselves in difficulty. 

Please talk to us for more information and to ensure that your future will be protected. Call Emma Greenland on 01268 824927 or email emma.greenland@birkettlong.co.uk