Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
A legal document giving chosen attorneys authority to make decisions for the person who made it, used if the person loses capacity to decide for themselves.
There are two types of LPA: Property and Financial Affairs (covering money, property and bills) and Health and Welfare (covering medical care and daily living). Most adults benefit from having both.
An LPA must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used. Registration currently takes around 16 to 20 weeks.
Without an LPA, families may need to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as Deputies. Deputies are supervised for life with annual reporting; the application costs more and takes longer than registering an LPA.