Project Description
Ensuring Both You And Your Interests Are Taken Care Of . . .
WHAT IS A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?
To understand whether you need a Lasting Power of Attorney in Essex, you need to know that is a legal document that lets you appoint someone to make important decisions on your behalf where, for example, you cannot do it for yourself due to serious ill-health.
There are two distinct forms of Lasting Power of Attorney that you will want to consider either individually or together dependent upon your particular circumstances
(a) Health and Welfare – this Lasting Power of Attorney can only be used when you cannot make decisions for yourself. You can choose one or more people to make decisions about things including (i) your daily routine (for example, eating and what to wear); (ii) medical care; (iii) moving into a care home; and/or (iv) refusing life-sustaining treatment
(b) Property and Financial Affairs – this Lasting Power of Attorney can be used at any time. You can choose one or more people to make decisions about things including (i) paying bills; (ii) collecting benefits; and/or (iii) selling your home.
The need for you to have your own Lasting Powers of Attorney put into place, regardless of your age and current circumstances, is illustrated by numerous stories in the national media including that of Children’s author Heather Bateman that is provided in the video on this page.
The sad thing is that if Bateman’s husband had had a Lasting Power of Attorney in place to take care of his property and finances, along with his health and welfare, then such problems could have been avoided. This is because, as has already been recognised, a Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that would have allowed Bateman’s husband to appoint someone else (for example, Bateman herself) to make decisions on his behalf. The reason for this is that, as has already been stated, a Lasting Power of Attorney is normally used when an individual like Bateman’s husband could not make their own decisions any more often for reasons of ill-health.
Therefore, if you are based anywhere in Essex and would like to avoid such problems potentially arising for both yourself and your loved ones in the future in the event of your health deteriorating, please contact us at Andrew Douglas Wills and Legal Services now to book your FREE consultation.