Legal and financial signposting
Lasting Power of Attorney for people with dementia
Many people with dementia will reach a point where they can no longer make some decisions for themselves. This is known as lacking ‘mental capacity’ to make those decisions. When this happens, someone else – often a carer or family member – will need to decide on behalf of the person with dementia.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal tool that lets you choose someone (or several people) you trust to make decisions for you. This person is referred to as your ‘attorney’, and you can choose what decisions they can make for you.
There are two different types of LPA:
· Property and affairs LPA. This lets the person you appoint make decisions about your property and finances.
· Health and welfare LPA. This lets the person you appoint make decisions about your care and medical treatment.
You can choose to make both types or just one. You can appoint the same person to be your attorney for both, or you can have different attorneys. You can find out more about these types of LPAs below.
All LPAs must be registered at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before they can be used. The OPG is a government body that is responsible for the registration of LPAs.
For more information see ‘How do I make an LPA?'
View the Birmingham and Solihull Dementia Strategy 2023-2028 here.