My Dad has dementia, so how can I find out why he pays RSA very month & what its for?

SheMug

My Dad is 90 year old & is in a residential home. I do not have power of attorney and cannot get it now as he has dementia. However as he used to live with me so I still get his bank statements. Nothing much happens with his account these days. His payments to the LA for his care goes out and his pensions come in. However for many many years Royal Sun Alliance have taken out a direct debit every month. Its not a huge amount - but I have no idea what this is for. Years back I tried calling them and giving them the account number & they could not trace it. I think even if they had found it, they would not have spoken to me re GDPR and all that stuff. I dont want to ask the bank to cancel it in case its some sort of funeral plan. What became of this group? Are they part of Phoenix now.Would love to know what my Dad is paying for as it may be something really stupid - like some car he hasn't driven in 15 years or fridge break down cover. Any suggestions?

SonOf

Royal Sun Alliance were very active in car insurance and home insurance in the past.

happyandcontented

We pay a couple of separate small amounts to RSA as part of our Lloyds home insurance policy.

bengal-stripe

It might well be an 'Over 50 Life Insurance', where you pay a fixed sum unto the end of your life, giving a small payout after death:
https://www.sunlife.co.uk/life-cover/over-50-life-insurance/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=ppc_bp_sitelink&utm_campaign=GOF&ds_rl=1137226&gclid=CjwKCAjwkenqBRBgEiwA-bZVtj_QSxii4IzWmN9wZyrOgCAy2XeUp0YPBEEb7pIpEsOi3LBYtU9VChoC7cMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

They are incredibly bad value, as after a few years you will have paid more than you (or your heirs) will get out of the insurance.

The total paid in premiums could be more than the cash payout (depending on when you die). Inflation also reduces buying power over time.

Weighty1

it could be one of any number of things. You really need to get authority to speak to them about it to find out properly.

brianposter

Presumably you can write a letter which your father can sign.

43722

You can apply to be a Deputy for your father, through the Office of the Public Guardian. It takes some time to got through the process, and there is an annual fee. (Which you could use your father's funds for). You may not consider it the best plan if there is little else to do beside tackling your current query.

sheramber

Have you checked any papers your father has for a policy etc?

SheMug

I think this is a heads up for anyone with elderly parents. I had not even heard the term "power of attorney" before and with a father with such extreme dementia and all these GDPR rules, having a conversation with anyone about him is a nightmare. Fortunately the bank manager know me and my father well, so cut me some slack & apply logic. I tried years ago to find out what it is and basically the account doesnt exist, so the money goes into some dark cyber hole. I am sure that if I cancelled it, someone would come chasing. But I just let it drift in case it is something important, and once my Dad passes away I will play detective when authorised to do so. Just to say, watch the bank accounts of your elderly relatives. So many folk have tried to scam my Dad, (even official companies) so in the end I put a block on how much money could be taken at any one time, (friendly bank manager). For instance, I disconnected his Sky TV (officially) because he never used it & could only operate one channel at best. I disconnected his phone line for the same reason - he didn't know how to make a call or pick up a phone. About 3 months later, Sky started charging him a DD again- with the sports package. When I called to ask why they had done this, they claimed he had called Sky saying he wanted to watch golf. My father hates golf & had no phone to call them - could hardly string a sentence together. All these so called recorded phone calls - magically erased. You need to watch the elderly very carefully. Before I get to that stage, I will certainly have one of my kids have a power of attorney on me.

Keep_pedalling

SheMug wrote: »

I think this is a heads up for anyone with elderly parents. I had not even heard the term "power of attorney" before and with a father with such extreme dementia and all these GDPR rules, having a conversation with anyone about him is a nightmare. Fortunately the bank manager know me and my father well, so cut me some slack & apply logic. I tried years ago to find out what it is and basically the account doesnt exist, so the money goes into some dark cyber hole. I am sure that if I cancelled it, someone would come chasing. But I just let it drift in case it is something important, and once my Dad passes away I will play detective when authorised to do so. Just to say, watch the bank accounts of your elderly relatives. So many folk have tried to scam my Dad, (even official companies) so in the end I put a block on how much money could be taken at any one time, (friendly bank manager). For instance, I disconnected his Sky TV (officially) because he never used it & could only operate one channel at best. I disconnected his phone line for the same reason - he didn't know how to make a call or pick up a phone. About 3 months later, Sky started charging him a DD again- with the sports package. When I called to ask why they had done this, they claimed he had called Sky saying he wanted to watch golf. My father hates golf & had no phone to call them - could hardly string a sentence together. All these so called recorded phone calls - magically erased. You need to watch the elderly very carefully. Before I get to that stage, I will certainly have one of my kids have a power of attorney on me.

Actually this should be a heads up for you and every other adult. Do not wait until your dotage to get LPAs in place. No one knows when they could be suddenly incapacitated through Illness or accident, so don’t make the same mistake get you own LPA sorted ASAP.

badmemory

I would second the need for everyone to have a POA. My mother's sudden "change of circumstances" would have been much worse without one. We could just reluctantly get on with what had to be done without having to wonder how we were going to be able to do it. I already have one. Do not leave it until you think it may be needed it may well be too late. They are now under £100 apiece so well worth it.