Epa

[Tess]

Hi everyone
My mum who is 78 has been diagnosed with Alzheimers for some years now. Dad who is almost 81 cares for her on a day to day basis and they have good support and regular contact with a CPN. Mum has Attendance Allowance but all correspondence regarding this is sent to my Dad as it was evident from her application forms that she would have been unable to deal with it herself. Every time Mum has a doctor's or hospital appointment, Dad is with her for her consultation. She would never remember what had happened if she had been on her own and this way, Dad knows exactly what's going on. They have joint bank accounts. I read so much on the forum about EPA and wonder whether this is something that Dad should be thinking about. At the moment everything seems to be working fine without an EPA. I would be grateful for advice on whether this is something we should be considering and in what circumstances it would be necessary.

Thank you so much. This site is brilliant for anyone needing info and I am so pleased that I found it.

Regards

Tess

 

[jenniferpa]

Hi Tess

There are a number of questions that you need to ask yourself. Are there any funds that your father does not have access to? It doesn't sound as if there are. Would your mother be mentally capable of understanding an EPA? An EPA is normally put into place before dementia gets too bad. Does your father have an EPA? What would happen to your mother if something happened to him?

I'm not sure what you hope to achieve with an EPA. From April of next year the replacement Lasting Power of Attorney will allow individuals to "pass on" care decisions to another, as well as financial decisions, but as it stands, and EPA is used for financial management.

I think in your place I would focus on making sure that you have plans for what would happen if your father became ill as well as your mother. Your father should have an EPA drawn up for himself, as well as getting one drawn up for your mother, if she is sufficently capable. You can designate attorneys in a line, as it were. So for your mother the first would be your father, followed by you (or another child). That way, if your father was unable to fulfill that role, someone else would be able to take over.

However, don't forget that even without an EPA, it is possible to apply to the court of protection for a receiver, so all is not lost even if an EPA isn't in place. it just takes longer, is more hassle, and costs more.

Jennifer

 

[Lynne]

it just takes longer, is more hassle, and costs more.
Jennifer

Sounds like a b.. good reason to get it sorted sooner rather than later, in my opinion, whilst Dad is still clear headed enough to appreciate it!

If you appoint more than one attorney within the family, it might be worth considering ensuring they can act "jointly OR severally", that way if (worst case scenario here) if 1 of 2 attorneys should die or become incapable of performing that function, the remaining one can act in their own right without needing anything to be counter-signed etc., or having to re-apply.