Planning Ahead: Lasting Powers of Attorney

The following is a message from the Office of the Public Guardian.

Planning ahead is important – Can you help us reach more people with this important message?  

We never know for sure what the future holds for us. One day many of us will need help managing our affairs because we no longer have the capacity to make certain important decisions ourselves.

The facts speak for themselves. Every year, 225,000 people in the UK develop dementia.  Every 90 seconds someone is admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury.  That’s why it’s so important to act now and plan ahead to make sure our choices count, no matter what the future holds.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is a government agency that registers lasting powers of attorney (LPAs).  These important legal documents allow you to choose people you trust to help manage your affairs should you ever lose capacity.  Setting up an LPA is straightforward and can even be done online, but still too few people are taking this important step.

We want to better understand what stops people taking out an LPA as well as what might encourage them to plan ahead.  That’s why we’re asking for your help.

We know that most people who have already taken out an LPA are over 65 and from a narrow demographic.  We want more people benefit from planning ahead, including younger adults as well people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

We know that many faith leaders have particularly strong links with their communities as well a deep understanding of them.   Would you be interested in using your insights and knowledge to help us?

If you do think you’d be able to help, we’d love to hear from you.  Simply email us at [email protected] or call Munpreet Kaur Uppal on 0121 631 6814.