Frank had always assumed that he’d be able to look after the finances of his frail mother, Grace, if she became unable to do so herself. However, Grace has been deemed to be mentally incapable and, therefore, a Lasting Power of Attorney could not be sought.
Frank had to apply to the Office of the Public Guardian for the only alternative, which was the appointment of himself as a Deputy. The process was lengthy and time-consuming and meant that her estate was frozen for many months, despite all the funds being in place for her care, transport, medical expenses and support. Eventually, Frank was appointed a Deputy for which he had to pay an application fee and ongoing annual fees. To compound the matter, Frank had to suffer the indignity of regular statutory checks to prove that he was looking after his mother appropriately.
Whilst we were unable to help Frank with respect to his mother, we have been able to help Frank.
He said: “If only we’d arranged an LPA when she was healthy. All this distress, expense and worry could have been avoided. Since this happened, I’ve made sure I’m covered by an LPA so that if the worst happens to me, no-one else in my family will have to go through what Mum and I have endured.”