POA/Office of the public guardian screw up

[CrimeJunkie01]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this. I'm the only carer for my Aunt who has Alzhiemers dementia. She has significant impairment and in March with a great deal of discussion with her and the witness, she agreed to sign the POA forms for both health and wealth.

I duly sent off the applications in the same envelope and waited. And waited. Eventually in early August I got an email to pay the fees... Only they only requested the fee for one POA not both. I sent them an email. Didn't hear anything back. Tried to call numerous times but after over an hour a time and still being 30th or so in the queue I gave up.

Roll on late September and they wrote to her saying that the health POA application was being considered (still no news of the wealth one) and she had to say I'd she objected. In the past 6 months she has deteriorated dramatically and can no longer remember signing the forms. She got a neighbour to ring up to say she objected, before I got home to explain it all to her (the neighbour tried to convince her not to do it but for some reason went along with her).

I again called with no answer so emailed again asking what happened to the wealth one. It's been 8 weeks and still there hasn't been a response. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I will write a recorded delivery letter but am really worried that her mental state is now so deteriorated that it's not going to go ahead and I'm going to be stuck as she really needs long term care already but is refusing any help.

Anyone got any suggestions/advice/words of encouragement for me?

Regarding the POA, write to them with the reference numbers. However, if the forms haven’t gone through and she needs to confirm details, they may not accept it in her deteriorated state.
On a practical front, contact elderly social care in her area for advice and possible assessment of need.

Thanks SS are already involved, however she has this remarkable way of telling them everything is fine and they believe her!! For example, she says, I don't need any help, I do all my own cooking and shopping and they check the cupboards and she has food etc so they just belive her. Nevermind that I do all the shopping and if no one cooks for her she doesn't bloody eat. It's so frustrating. She is incontinent and smells but refuses any help and they just keep saying she is fine. She isn't.

I have just written to my MP. Maybe they can help.

OP, there will be an army of families all in similar positions as POA is so time critical. I'd study the website for their complaints procedure and register your complaint formally if you haven't already, but I suspect you have ...
Aside from the OPG delay in processing material, which was also a huge issue pre -Covid, they have made a serious breach in dealings with us. We are preparing our case.

As to your DA, DA is probably very frightened that her world is diminishing and she won't admit out loud to strangers that she is failing. Sadly you need to expose her frailty in the kindest way possible to the social work team and others when she masks.
They will be very aware she has her own version of events. They will also be aware you are plugging the gaps. But they will also see she is relatively safe and clean and not at huge risk on the scale of other things they are dealing with across the community. Therefore she is not in the 'Urgent' or 'at risk' group yet, even though you can see that is the obvious direction of travel.
Regrettably, there are very many hundred of thousands in her position right now across the UK. I'd hazard a guess that maybe one in three people on this forum are at a similar stage with their elderly person. It sucks.

So sorry you're going through this.

I'd urge you to lodge an official complaint with the Office of the Public Guardian. Sometimes it's the only way to sort things out

They finally responded. According to them, I didn't pay for the other POA and they returned it in July. This is blatantly untrue, it hasn't been returned to me and they never requested payment. I'm totally at a loss.

I will complain formally, but have no idea what I can do now as my aunt no longer has capacity to sign a new POA.

Assuming your mistake.
Why then after the huge delay didn’t they pick up the phone and ask you to send straight away?

Exactly. Definitely isn't my mistake but they have their story and are sticking to it.

Can you contact Citizen's Advice and see what they suggest?
Legally I suspect the window is closed.
I will DM you about what happened to us.

Can you try again and apply online.

She only needs to have sufficient capacity to satisfy the attorney giver that she understands what she is agreeing to and does indeed agree.

@CrimeJunkie01
Very similar happened in my situation.
Took well over a year whilst the OPG carried out their own 'investigations' and assessments via GP, Independent Cons Psychiatrist, etc and court hearings - before I was made Deputy of my DF's finances.

It was a nightmare and I'm sorry you're going through it too.

@LittleMissTake

Can you try again and apply online.

She only needs to have sufficient capacity to satisfy the attorney giver that she understands what she is agreeing to and does indeed agree.

Capacity is time and decision specific and OP says her Aunt no longer had the capacity to agree to a POA

The plot thickens. I just got a letter notifying me that they are processing the LPA for property and finance!!! They are in receipt of all the documents that they said that they returned to me in July!!!

The letter states that the LPA notifications have gone out and the document will be issued in 4 weeks!