Dementia Action Week

This week is the Alzheimer’s Society’s ‘Dementia Action Week’.

The goal of Dementia Action Week is to encourage people to take action to improve the lives of those affected by dementia, working to create a dementia-friendly UK where those with dementia do not feel excluded.

There are 850,000 people in the UK who are affected by dementia, and it does not just affect the elderly: 40,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 suffer from early onset dementia. It is believed that by 2051 the number of people who have dementia in the UK will have risen to 2 million.

Are you, or is someone you know, living with dementia?

Did you know that no one has the automatic right to make decisions for another person: not even their spouse or civil partner. Therefore, were you to lose your mental capacity, someone would need to be properly authorised to make decisions for you.

A Lasting Power of Attorney enables you to authorise your loved ones to make decisions for you if ever you can’t.

This can save them the time, money and stress of having to apply to the Court of Protection for permission to make these decisions as a Court Appointed Deputy.

A Lasting Power of Attorney can be a very useful tool but it is very important to seek advice before setting one up to make sure that it is the right option for you and to ensure that you have put appropriate safeguards in place.

Our Head of Private Client, Louise Kerr, qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and is a fully accredited member of Solicitors for the Elderly. Louise specialises in advising people considering setting up Lasting Powers of Attorney.

If you would like more information on how a Lasting Power of Attorney could work for you, then please call or come in for a free chat with Louise and a time that suits you.