Written confirmation of Dementia?

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
Hi all can I get a document that confirms my mother has dementia? And if so who provides it? And can I use it to support Power of Attorney?
 

Rosettastone57

Registered User
Oct 27, 2016
1,839
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Hi all can I get a document that confirms my mother has dementia? And if so who provides it? And can I use it to support Power of Attorney?
I got a letter from the memory clinic stating that my mother-in-law had been diagnosed with mixed dementia, which was the same one sent out to her GP. I'm not sure you need a document for POA. I obtained POA for my mother-in-law way before her diagnosis . The OPG didn't ask for any medical information
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,084
0
Bury
Are you wondering about when you can use your LPA to handle your mothers financial affairs?
Generally it's up to you to decide.
I had a case where an institution asked for a formal COP 3, I ignored this and got a consultant to provide a 'to whom it may concern' statement saying that ' Due to her dementing syndrome Mrs nitram is not capable of fully handling her financial affairs' . They accepted this.

If the query concerns H&W it's more difficult, blanket statements are not allowed.
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
I got a letter from the memory clinic stating that my mother-in-law had been diagnosed with mixed dementia, which was the same one sent out to her GP. I'm not sure you need a document for POA. I obtained POA for my mother-in-law way before her diagnosis . The OPG didn't ask for any medical information


I have power of attorney but it states only when person loses capacity so I wasn’t sure if I needed to prove no capacity? Did you have any problems using the POW? Do I just present it to the bank and so on? I’m worried they’d ask for proof of lost capacity.
 

Rosettastone57

Registered User
Oct 27, 2016
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I have power of attorney but it states only when person loses capacity so I wasn’t sure if I needed to prove no capacity? Did you have any problems using the POW? Do I just present it to the bank and so on? I’m worried they’d ask for proof of list capacity.

I didn't have that restriction, so the bank dealt with it easily. I've no experience of your situation, I'm afraid
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
Are you wondering about when you can use your LPA to handle your mothers financial affairs?
Generally it's up to you to decide.
I had a case where an institution asked for a formal COP 3, I ignored this and got a consultant to provide a 'to whom it may concern' statement saying that ' Due to her dementing syndrome Mrs nitram is not capable of fully handling her financial affairs' . They accepted this.

If the query concerns H&W it's more difficult, blanket statements are not allowed.

Thanks, it’s financial. I am concerned because it says ‘only when person loses capacity’ I mean it’s completely obvious for anyone to see. I have her bank cards but I could do with her statements being sent to me not her. She lives with me and waits for the postman if she gets to him before me she hides the letters! If she sees her bank statements she has no idea about any transactions and drives me insane! No money has gone out of her accounts for months but she’s walking around with a bank statement from 2017 demanding to know where the money went because she thinks it’s this months! She won’t believe me it’s 2019! As soon as I can I will grab the statement but I want to avoid it happening again.
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
I didn't have that restriction, so the bank dealt with it easily. I've no experience of your situation, I'm afraid

We did the POA on the Government website and it has two boxes one for joint immediate control and one for only when person loses capacity I didn’t want any control until then.
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,084
0
Bury
I am concerned because it says ‘only when person loses capacity’ I mean it’s completely obvious for anyone to see. I have her bank cards but I could do with her statements being sent to me not her. She lives with me and waits for the postman if she gets to him before me she hides the letters!

Using your POA ask the bank to address the statements to you.
This may not be possible or you may get letters addressed to 'you - POA for her'
One solution is to cancel written statements and rely on online ones, doubt if she will notice lack of statements.
 

Wifenotcarer

Registered User
Mar 11, 2018
341
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77
Central Scotland
We did our (Scottish) POAs around three years ago when OH was deemed to still have capacity. I had to get a letter from a medical professional this year, confirming that OH no longer has capacity (he scored zero on the cognition test) which had to be attached to the original POA document so that I could begin to act on his behalf. This was needed so that I could sign the papers when he entered a Care Home and to present to the Bank when I split our savings into two equal accounts.
 

Rosettastone57

Registered User
Oct 27, 2016
1,839
0
Using your POA ask the bank to address the statements to you.
This may not be possible or you may get letters addressed to 'you - POA for her'
One solution is to cancel written statements and rely on online ones, doubt if she will notice lack of statements.
I think the opening poster is saying the POA isn't set up with the bank yet ,because of the losing capacity clause
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
I think the opening poster is saying the POA isn't set up with the bank yet ,because of the losing capacity clause

That’s correct I haven’t set anything up yet. I just want to make sure I do everything right don’t want to go the bank only to be told I need additional documents which I can get before if I need to.

We have a psychiatrist visiting tomorrow to assess mum she’s had the cognitive test and failed miserably, she’s also had the brain scan which shows damage to frontal lobes. The psychiatrist is the final stage to confirm diagnosis. Apparently all three steps have to be completed before they can confirm. Five minutes with my mum was really all it would take, mum is definitely late stage but had to follow protocol! I’m in no hurry to set up POA mum lives with me so has no bills to pay and doesn’t need any money.
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
4,418
0
Newcastle
I wasn't asked to prove my wife's capacity when I took over her financial affairs at her High Street bank, the one that favours horses. I made an appointment with someone from the team that deals with Power of Attorney. I went armed with a file of papers including the diagnosis letter that she got in 2016 (not in itself proof of lost capacity) and the psychiatrist's report produced for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards purposes in 2018 (ditto). None of it was looked at.

My wife was in respite at the time and I was fairly confident that if asked I could demonstrate her inability to handle her own affairs. The very friendly man did not look at the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in any detail and certainly did not check to see whether or not it specified that it could be used only when capacity was lost. Once I had proved my ID and handed over the original LPA for copying and immediate return I was made my wife's representative for the 2 accounts that she had at the time. I was given full access, a debit card, internet banking access and telephone banking.

I hope that this helps.
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK
hi @Rosserk
just be aware that a diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean that the person no longer has capacity ... many retain capacity well after the diagnosis
so it may be worth checking both issues with the psychiatrist
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,084
0
Bury
why is everything so complicated

Basically because taking over control of somebody's finances, and maybe H&W decisions is a very serious matter.
If the LPA says 'only when lacking capacity' institutions have to ascertain that capacity has been lost.
How they do this is up to them, they have a duty of care to the account holder.
Best to go in and say in my judgement as LPA the person is now loosing or has lost capacity
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
hi @Rosserk
just be aware that a diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean that the person no longer has capacity ... many retain capacity well after the diagnosis
so it may be worth checking both issues with the psychiatrist

She’s had dementia for three years and only recently lost capacity so I was aware of this. However I strongly believe her judgement has been impaired for the last three years. I don’t think I will have any problem getting evidence to confirm list capacity.
 

jugglingmum

Registered User
Jan 5, 2014
7,085
0
Chester
This may not be possible or you may get letters addressed to 'you - POA for her

My mum has multiple bank accounts and investments (she worked in foreign exchange and therefore liked to spread her risk etc), some statements come addressed to me, with her name only visible somewhere in the statement (annoyingly this is one where I also have an ISA so never know who it belongs to until double checked), some come addressed to me with POA next to my name and mum's name on next line, and some come with mum's name first and then mine.

I think all bar the investment mentioned everything comes with mum's name clearly visible in the 'window'.

On line statements may be the way to go once you've sorted the POA out if mum lives with you and grabs the post (no reference to capacity in mum's so can't help on that bit).
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
Basically because taking over control of somebody's finances, and maybe H&W decisions is a very serious matter.
If the LPA says 'only when lacking capacity' institutions have to ascertain that capacity has been lost.
How they do this is up to them, they have a duty of care to the account holder.
Best to go in and say in my judgement as LPA the person is now loosing or has lost capacity


We had to go into her two banks last week to order new cards because she’d cut her old ones up! Both banks witnessed how severe her dementia is going m sure they will remember me. They were both actually very helpful so I guess I’m just being over cautious.
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
0
My mum has multiple bank accounts and investments (she worked in foreign exchange and therefore liked to spread her risk etc), some statements come addressed to me, with her name only visible somewhere in the statement (annoyingly this is one where I also have an ISA so never know who it belongs to until double checked), some come addressed to me with POA next to my name and mum's name on next line, and some come with mum's name first and then mine.

I think all bar the investment mentioned everything comes with mum's name clearly visible in the 'window'.

On line statements may be the way to go once you've sorted the POA out if mum lives with you and grabs the post (no reference to capacity in mum's so can't help on that bit).


Thanks I agree online is the way to go.