Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorneys – Are You and Your Family Protected?

Kate Garraway’s heart-breaking story of her husband Derek’s year-long battle with Covid has been made even more complicated by the lack of legal protection she and Derek had in place. Kate was unable to access funds to manage her husband’s care or refinance her mortgage. She didn’t even have the legal right to see his medical notes, owing to data protection.

Research by Solicitors For the Elderly (SFE), shows that 65% of us think our next-of-kin will make medical and care decisions for us if we are no longer able to. In reality, this isn’t the case unless a Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney is in place.

Whilst there’s been a rise in the number of enquiries made about Lasting Power of Attorneys (LPAs) during the pandemic, only 22% of people in the UK actually have one.

To avoid this difficult kind of legal situation it’s important to use a specialist lawyer who is experienced in this area of the law, and is trained to support people making these crucial, complex and difficult decisions. According to Which? 22,000 LPAs are rejected every year so it’s essential that you get your legal documents right.

Jennifer Humphreys, Partner and a member of SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly), the membership organisation for specialist solicitors who support older and vulnerable people says,

“It is vitally important to ensure that your next of kin can act in your best interests should you find yourself in a position where you are unable to do so yourself. Everyone should have a Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney and at Marshall Hatchick we have the expertise to ensure that yours will be legally effective should the worst happen”

Complete the “How can we help?” section on our homepage quoting Health & Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney in the message box and one of our private client team will be in touch to discuss your needs and make sure you are protected.

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