What are Health and Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney?
If you’re worried about losing the capacity to make decisions about your health and welfare in the future, Lasting Powers of Attorney can give you peace of mind. A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legally binding document that enables you to nominate a trusted person or people – such as your spouse, partner or child – to step in and make decisions on your behalf if you become mentally or physically incapable of dealing with them on your own. They ensure your loved ones don’t face any difficulties in getting the authority to deal with your matters in the future. They allow them to do anything you’d normally be able to do, including making decisions about going into care, what life-sustaining treatment you receive, and which religion you observe or follow.
Without them, these decisions may be taken in your best interests by doctors, healthcare providers or legal professionals and may go against your own – or your loved ones’ – wishes. Lasting Powers of Attorney are complex, and there are many legal implications to consider. So, for expert advice and guidance, get in touch today to see how we can help.
Why do I need Lasting Powers of Attorney?
Many families don’t have a strategy to deal with a loved one who no longer has the mental or physical capacity to look after themselves or make decisions about their care. When this happens, the only solution is to get the courts involved, which can be messy, complicated and expensive. Setting up Health and Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney will give the people you love and trust the most the authority to make the best decisions on your behalf.
With Lasting Powers of Attorney, your loved ones can liaise with your local authority or social services about where you want to live. They will ensure that your family or friends are involved in any decisions regarding your health and welfare and enable them to do their utmost to ensure your wishes are considered. And if you are seriously ill in hospital, Lasting Powers of Attorney will enable your loved ones to prevent you from being resuscitated against your wishes and make decisions about your continuing health and welfare if your health is likely to deteriorate.
Benefits of Lasting Powers of Attorney
If you have to go into hospital or care and are of sound mind, you can make your own decisions or nominate a Next of Kin to make decisions for you. However, if you lose your mental capacity and need care, but have not assigned Lasting Powers of Attorney, then a local authority or other statutory body can legally take over and make decisions based on what they believe to be in your best interests. These might go against your wishes or what your family wants for you.
Health and Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney allow your nominated loved ones to challenge decisions made by the NHS or local authority and refuse or demand medication or treatment. They can also give you a big say in things like your diet, dressing and daily routine if you do go into care. If you don’t want to leave your health and welfare to chance or want to spare your loved ones a lot of additional grief and heartache, get in touch today to see how we can help.
Let King Will’s Wills create your Lasting Powers of Attorney
At King Will’s Wills, we believe the process of creating Lasting Powers of Attorney should be as simple, straightforward and pain-free as possible. We’ll explain every stage of the process in simple terms and plain English to ensure you understand how Lasting Powers of Attorney are created and what they will help you to achieve. We’ll also ensure that your Lasting Powers of Attorney are legally compliant and protect your estate in accordance with your wishes so that when the time comes, it will avoid any additional stress, hassle or inconvenience for your loved ones.
We provide a simple, straightforward and affordable service with a personal touch that doesn’t compromise on quality. We’ll meet with you at your convenience, online or in-person, during evenings or at weekends. All our fees are fixed and quoted up-front, so there are no surprises later, and our work is fully insured. To make a start, give us a call today.