hi
@Lyd
you mention that your MIL was only recently diagnosed
a diagnosis doesn't of itself mean that the person no longer has capacity to manage their own affairs, that may not be the case for some years
lots of things can be done, by someone helping, with the person's permission
if the LPA for finance & property has been registered with the OPG then the Attorneys may help with tasks, following the donor's instructions, eg write a change of address letter for the donor to sign
it may be that your MIL has capacity to make decisions, so your responsibility is to support her in taking action
the LPA for health and welfare only comes into effect when the donor no longer has capacity
I didn't contact any bodies with the LPA until dad no longer had capacity (he'd moved into his care home by then and couldn't manage his affairs) ... until then, his bank were happy to know that the LPA was in place and that dad had given his permission to have me help him in front of his account manager ... in fact, when I took the certified copy of the LPA to them so that I could take on full management of his accounts, the manager was careful to check that dad could no longer manage his affairs (I took in confirmation of his move into the care home) because according to their regulations, dad would have no more access to his accounts himself (I believe other banks may allow some access as agreed by all parties concerned)
in effect, by 'actioning' an LPA with an institution an Attorney is confirming that the donor no longer has the capacity to manage their own affairs for themselves and therefore the Attorney is taking on full control, acting in the best financial interests of the donor
I just wanted to mention this in case you thought the LPAs had to be 'actioned' on diagnosis rather than when the donor no longer has capacity ... it definitely is best to have LPAs registered with the OPG as soon as they are completed, so they can be kept safe and are 'good to go'