An appeal to people to secure their futures by taking out a legal safeguard against the onset of dementia has been made by the Alzheimer’s Society in North Wales.
It comes in the wake of figures from the Alzheimer’s Society that show that dementia cases in North Wales could rise by more than 35 per cent in the next ten years.
The call has come from Jacky Baldini, Locality Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society in North Wales, who said that arranging a Lasting Power of Attorney was as important as writing a will.
Her call has been made in conjunction with Power of Attorney legal expert Sian Fisher, of prominent law firm Cyril Jones and Co, of Wrexham and Deeside, and by Mario Kreft, Chief Executive of Care Forum Wales and Managing Director of Pendine Park care homes who have their own acclaimed specialist dementia care centre at Bodlondeb, near Wrexham.
Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPOA) – introduced because of the 2005 Mental Capacity Act – allow people to appoint someone to act on their behalf to deal with their personal welfare or financial affairs. It can be put in place now so that the decisions can be made at a time when people cannot do it themselves.
Jacky Baldini said: “It is absolutely imperative that a LPOA is in place before someone loses the capacity to make decisions about their care or their financial affairs for themselves.
“It is a difficult decision to make because you are anticipating someone’s condition worsening but if it’s not in place when that person loses the capacity to make their own decisions the implications are much more serious.
“It means going to the Court of Protection and lengthy and expensive legal processes to avoid being in a situation where the family can’t pay the mortgage or for appropriate care.”
More than 99 per cent of the population could find their financial affairs descending into chaos because they haven’t appointed a power of attorney.
It’s estimated that 40,000 people suffer from a dementia in Wales and that North Wales alone will see a 35 per cent increase in dementia cases amongst over 75s in the next ten years with one in three people over 65 expected suffer a form of dementia.
Sian Fisher, of solicitors Cyril Jones and Co, specialises in arranging Lasting Power of Attorney for families, and she said: “As more and more people live longer the importance of appointing a lasting power of attorney increases but really it should be as much a part of making proper provision as making a will.
“But it is not just for people who are getting older – I have done a Lasting Power of Attorney for younger people and like a will once it’s there it’s always in place.
“It means that should you become unable to make decisions about your finances or your welfare then there is someone who can take over and that is very reassuring for families and their loved ones.”
Recent statistics have shown that despite Lasting Powers of Attorney regulations being introduced in 2007, less than one per cent of the population have been registered.
Lasting Powers of Attorney – introduced because of the 2005 Mental Capacity Act – allows people to appoint someone to act on their behalf to deal with their personal welfare or financial affairs. It can be put in place now so that the decisions can be made at a time when people cannot do it themselves.
Dementia is the single most frequent cause of admission to residential and nursing homes, and of the need for community care services in older people. Younger people can also be affected.
Pendine Park care homes last year opened a brand new state of the art dementia care centre at Bodlondeb on Summerhill Road, Wrexham, and Managing Director Mario Kreft, the Chief Executive of Care Forum Wales, said: “We can see the consequences of not having Power of Attorney and it really is terrifying.
“As well as having to cope with the emotional difficulty of dealing with a loved one who has dementia, people can be left in terrible financial hardship even though there is money which would be available.
“It’s a matter of peace of mind both for the person who has dementia and for their family because they know that their loved one’s wishes are being carried out.”
Mrs Maureen Moppett, from Gresford, and her husband, Ken, took out Power of Attorney when he was diagnosed with dementia over ten years ago – he is now in Cae Bryn Home, at Pendine Park, and she said: “I attended an Alzheimer’s Society group and someone there advised us to take out a Power of Attorney.
“Ken was still all right then and was able to agree to do it but now he doesn’t even know me and hasn’t for about three years even though I visit him every day.
“I’d never even heard of it but I don’t know what we’d have done if we hadn’t because it has meant I have been able to access Ken’s account and fill out the forms for him now that he is eligible for a state pension.
“I couldn’t have done that without a Power of Attorney and many people leave it too late. I know people like that and they’re completely stuck. They can’t touch any money that goes into that person’s account.”
Jacky Baldini added: “We advise people to seek professional advice because it’s not as costly as it would be after a person’s mental capacity to make the decision has gone.
“The consequences of not having an LPA are frightening because by the time a person has lost capacity there is a lot of pressure on carer anyway.
“It causes great anxiety for the family who then find they haven’t got the power to do simple things because bank accounts are frozen and they can’t access money for basic needs like food, heating, the mortgage and care.
“Having a POA in place just makes things so much easier so that all those expenses can be met easily.”
For more information regarding a LPA please contact the Alzheimer’s society on 01352 700462 for a fact sheet or to be put you in touch with a Dementia Support Worker in your area or go to the Society website at www.alzheimers.org.uk
