Lasting powers of attorney
It is also important to make sure that wills and powers of attorney are established while the person that you care for is still mentally capable of doing so.
Here are some common terms:
Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA)
Such an agreement must have been signed before October 2007 and allows a trusted person to act on behalf of a person no longer capable of managing their own finances;
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA)
This enables you (the attorney) to make decisions, on behalf of the person that you support, about their property and affairs at a time when they are no longer able or lack the mental capacity to make those decisions themselves. It can include the power for you to give, or refuse, consent to medical treatment if this power has been expressly given in the LPA.
It can only be used once it has been registered at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
For more information about Powers of Attorney, please visit the Alzheimer’s Society page on Lasting Powers of Attorney or contact your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau.