What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Having a Lasting Power of Attorney in place ensures that you are empowered as an individual to choose who will deal with your affairs in the event that you are unable to.

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney:

• health and welfare

• property and financial affairs

You can choose to make one type of Lasting Power of Attorney or both.

Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney

This allows you to choose one person or more to make decisions about things like:

• your daily routine (e.g. eating and what to wear)
• medical care
• moving into a care home
• refusing life-sustaining treatment

This Lasting Power of Attorney can only be used once someone is unable to make their own decisions.

Property & Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney

This lets you choose one person or more to make decisions about money and property for you, eg:

• paying bills
• collecting benefits
• selling your home

You can appoint someone to look after your property and financial affairs at any time.

Choosing Your Attorney

You can choose one person or more to make decisions on your behalf, as your ‘attorney’.

When choosing an attorney, think about:

• how well the person looks after their own affairs, e.g. their finances
• how well you know them
• if you trust them to make decisions in your best interests
• how happy they will be to make decisions for you

Who can be your attorney

Your attorney can be anyone 18 or over, e.g.:

• a relative
• a friend
• a professional (like a solicitor)
• your husband, wife or partner

Who can’t be your attorney

You can’t choose someone who:

• is under 18
• is unable to make decisions
• is currently bankrupt (if you want them to look after property or money)