How to activate Lasting Power of Attorney - any experience

[wiltonian]

My step-mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. We - mix of actual children and step-children - have LPA which has been in place for at least fifteen years. Now we need to use it, but I don't really understand from the government website how we set it in motion.

Is there a mechanism for this, or do we just ring up the bank and go, hey, we have an LPA?

Thank you in advance (you were all so nice to me when I had another name and my mother died btw)

There will be a section on the financial one where someone should have ticked if it can be used immedistely or when she has lost capacity. Has she had a capacity assessment to determine that she can no longer look after her finances.

No there hasn't been a capacity assessment, but I am fairly sure that she will be happy to have one of us in joint control. That's pretty much how it works anyway, we just want to make it formalised now as we will need to be more involved in paying for help etc.

I would still check, its in section 5, you dont want to end up having to prove capacity. We just took the original copy to the bank and set it up.

Whenever you want to make a financial transaction on her behalf (which includes things like arguing the size of her gas bill), say “I have PoA” and they’ll ask to see it. They’ll take a copy, so they don’t have to keep asking you. If it’s a bank, they’ll want id for you, and maybe for her too.

Thanks everyone, she has a file for it so we will take a look and see what the options are.