LPA health and welfare

Bobinyorkshire

If this has been discussed already I apologise and would appreciate a link.
Basically, we need to update our will and doing LPA at the same time. Wondering if it’s worth doing ‘health and welfare’ as well as ‘property and finance’. We are only mid fifties and work in health and not sure if it’s worth the extra costs. 

All advice grateful

KxMx

Absolutely, they are as important as wills.

trailingspouse

If something happened to you that rendered you incapable of making your own decisions re your Health and Welfare, you would want to know that someone you trusted had the right to make those decisions for you. And that can happen at any age.

Keep_pedalling

From experience with my mother, the finance LPA was essential H&W she did not do, but I never ran into a problem without it. I have not done a H&W LPA myself as I trust my family entirely, but I am in the process of doing one just in case they run into problems with health professionals. 

Bobinyorkshire

Thank you for your helpful comments. Much appreciated

elsien

You don’t need to use a solicitor. They are easy enough to do yourself online for about £89 each which isn’t a huge cost in the circumstances.

Bobinyorkshire

Wow, the quotes I’ve had have been significantly more than for doing the mirror will and that did not include the £82 application. 

I was assuming it needed the approval of a solicitor to make it binding.
How long do you think it takes to do LPAs for me and my wife. They will be simply as it will be spouse and children jointly and severally 

Marmaduke123

We didn't think the Health and Welfare LPA was really needed either. I discovered otherwise when my husband had a severe brain haemorrhage and I realised that I was not in control of what happened to him. Hospital staff were the decision makers, not me.

KxMx

Bobinyorkshire said:

Wow, the quotes I’ve had have been significantly more than for doing the mirror will and that did not include the £82 application. 

I was assuming it needed the approval of a solicitor to make it binding.
How long do you think it takes to do LPAs for me and my wife. They will be simply as it will be spouse and children jointly and severally 

Not long at all, if you sign up for an account through the online service, once one form is done you can copy details into the second very easily.

elsien

We downloaded the forms and then spent some time properly thinking about what to put in it. Generally speaking lessons more unless there is something you feel particularly strongly about.

lr1277

When my dad was in hospital (many times) we were asked if we had power of attorney by the medical staff. We had it, but never had to produce it. Our word was good enough at that time.

Depending on the condition of the patient and their prognosis you may be asked about Do Not Resuscitate (DNR). Make sure the attorney knows the donor's wishes in this particular area.