What a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney Means

How do you like to wear your hair? Do you like crosswords? What’s your favourite TV programme?

This is the sort of detail required by someone entrusted to make decisions on your behalf by a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) if you lose mental capacity for whatever reason.

A health and welfare attorney deals with where the donor lives, their daily routine, personal care, medical treatments, etc, and needs to inform people like carers, friends, family, the donor’s GP, other healthcare staff and social workers.

An attorney must always act in the donor’s best interests, keep detailed records of important decisions and help the donor reach their own decisions – if they can.

You mustn’t step in just because you think the donor’s choices are odd or unwise. And don’t make assumptions based on the donor’s age, behaviour, condition or appearance – think about what they as an individual would want.

You can cancel your LPA, if you still have mental capacity, by sending a ‘deed of revocation’ to the Office of the Public Guardian.

To set up a Lasting Power of Attorney, contact Heritage Will Writing on 02380 879243.