When many of us plan for old age we may think of making a will, setting up a life insurance policy or contributing to a pension, but how many of us consider making arrangements for someone else to look after our affairs when we are no longer capable?

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) enable a person, usually referred to as the "Donor", to transfer the running of his or her affairs to a third party, called an "Attorney". The Property & Affairs LPA allows you to appoint an Attorney to make decisions with respect to your property and financial affairs, which can include the following:

• Managing your home, bank/building society accounts and/or investment portfolio
• Accessing your personal information
• Buying or selling assets including your home

Personal Welfare LPA

A Personal Welfare LPA enables an Attorney to make decisions regarding your healthcare, welfare and wellbeing and in general can involve the following:

• Deciding where you live
• Accessing personal information e.g. medical records
• Deciding what you wear, eat and how you spend your day

You can appoint the same or different persons to be your Personal Welfare Attorneys, to those who act as your Property & Affairs Attorneys. The Personal Welfare LPA has to be registered with the Court of Protection prior to use. However, unlike the Property & Affairs LPA, the Personal Welfare LPA can only be used when you are no longer capable of making decisions for yourself