New guidelines have been published to create more awareness about the use of Lasting Powers of Attorney.
In addition improvements have been made to speed up the process of registering these documents with the Office of the Public Guardian which authorises the use of such Powers.
It is hoped that the combination of these two measures will encourage more people to create Lasting Powers of Attorney in favour of trusted family members or friends in the event of becoming mentally incapable of looking after their own financial /property affairs or for making health decisions.
Dementia, strokes and road accidents all contribute to incapacity and without a Lasting Power of Attorney in place families are forced to apply to the Court of Protection for permission to oversee a loved one’s personal wealth. This is usually a long and expensive route to take.
The two most important documents any parent with assets and children need are a Will and a Lasting Power of Attorney