Powers of Attorney can allow people to pay your bills, manage your care and clothing, sell your house, or even potentially change your Will if you are incapable of doing so yourself. So it is important for anyone, of any age or situation, to take legal advice on these matters.

Powers of Attorney are a legal way of giving those you trust the right to manage your affairs and make decisions if you become physically or mentally unable to do so. This could be because of a disability, unexpected illness or accident or just the onset of old age. Or it might just be that you are having difficulty getting around and want someone to be able to pop to the bank for you.

A Deputyship Order has a very similar effect to a Power of Attorney – in that it gives someone else the ability to look after your affairs on your behalf such as to sign documents, withdraw money etc. The big difference is that although a Power of Attorney is something that you set up yourself (if you are the donor, or person giving the power), a Deputyship Order is a court order. It appoints the people making the application (“the Deputys”) to manage the affairs of the person who has lost their capacity (“the Patient”).

Being an Attorney means that you will be able to make decisions on behalf of a person if they are no longer able to on their own. This can cover anything from day to day errands to medical, health and financial decisions. Your decisions can be scrutinised by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), Social Services, neighbours, family members and creditors and there is a lot of responsibility to this role.

You can always contact us for advice as we are regularly appointed as Attorneys and Deputys, so we are very experienced in making these types of decisions and we are able to help you with this.

Some people experience unexpected life changing events such as illness or an accident happens. This could mean that you’re left unable to make your own decisions and you’ll need someone to help you make financial or medical decisions or actions straight away.

People make all sorts of ‘just in case’ plans like having a spare tyre in the boot or break down cover. Many people like to plan ahead in case something happens to them in the future. A Power of Attorney is another way to make plans for the future and have the peace of mind that the right people are in place in case you need them.

Lots of people tell us why they don’t think they need a Power of Attorney. They say that it’s expensive, complicated or their family would just be able to make decisions should they need to without a Power of Attorney. These are just some of the misconceptions around getting a Power of Attorney in place. The only way to ensure that your finances, care and medical arrangements are taken care of by someone you trust is to set up a Power of Attorney and its worth putting a plan in place.

We know that everyone’s situation and needs are individual to them so it’s always best to give us a call or book a meeting to talk through what is important to you and to discuss your needs.

Living Wills can also be called Advance Directives, or Advance Decisions. But a Living Will is a way of explaining what you would like to happen if you can no longer make your own decisions in relation to your health and welfare. Kind of like making a Will, but for during your lifetime. A common example is where someone specifies that if they are in a coma, and their condition is not improving, then a Doctor is to switch off any life support machines. But they can be used for all kinds of things, where someone has strong feelings about a particular medical treatment such as a blood transfusion and wants to document their wishes. This kind of situation can cause upset in a family, but an Advance Decision can actually make a family’s decisions easier, as it is all there in black and white.