Considering appointing a lasting power of attorney
Monday, June 8th, 2009
This is a letter the Certainty National Will Register has received from a member of the public.
My solicitor has advised me that a lasting powers of attorney allows someone to give an attorney of their choice the power to make certain decisions on their behalf. This is usually done while the person is still able to make their own decisions, but with the possibility in mind that they may not be able to in the future. Not sure if I’m even ready to think about this yet.
Lasting powers of attorney are not all about delegating power apparently. They allow you to state the limits of the powers too. In this way you have a high level of control that allows you to plan your future extremely accurately to your satisfaction.
Personal Welfare lasting powers of attorney deals with matters that involve the person’s well being. The decisions made under this kind of lasting powers of attorney are about the person’s health, where they should be cared for and how. It also involves the kind of medical decisions that may have to be made. These decisions could even have life or death implications.
The Property and affairs lasting powers of attorney deals with matters that involve a person’s belongings and financial situation. It can be fairly mundane things like making sure that the person receives the right level of State benefits, checking that their bank account is in order, or looking after investments, etc. This does not include having the delegated power of making a new will on your behalf, however.
Be Safe and use Certainty to register a will on the UK’s National Will Register.
