Page 66 • The HERALD • 2nd April 2026 v THE HERALD - Proud to be part of your community v ASK A PROFESSIONAL WHY ESTABLISH A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY by Heritage Will Writing Upcoming Oakhaven Business Club Networking Events Oakhaven Business Club runs regular networking events with local businesses across the New Forest, Waterside and Totton. Businesses can pay-as-you-go per person per session, or become an annual member. Tuesday 14th April, 9.30am–11.30am, New Forest Walk and Work at e Haven – an hours walk around the salt marshes followed by tea/co ee and cake, £15. Thursday 23rd April, 5pm-7pm, celebrate spring with wine and canapes at the delightful Moorhill House Hotel in Burley, £22. Tuesday 12th May, 9.30am–11.30am, New Forest Walk and Work at e Lighthouse Milford-On-Sea, an hours walk along the beach followed by tea/co ee and cake, £15. Thursday 14th May, 5pm-7pm, Oakhaven Business Club at Elliotts of Lymington, for drinks and nibbles in the beautifully refurbished exhibition and private shopping space on the upper oors, £15. For more information about how to join the Oakhaven Business Club or to book a space for one of their networking events visit: www.oakhavenhospice. co.uk/oakhaven-business-club No-one likes to think about losing the ability to manage their own a airs, but approximately 820,000 people in this country have some form of dementia. Many others su er from strokes, brain injuries or have mental health conditions, and the truth is there are many things that can impact on someone’s ability to look a er their own a airs - regardless of age. In fact, you almost certainly know someone in this situation. Whilst it’s an uncomfortable thought - and no-one ever believes it will happen to them - around 2 million people in the UK lack mental capacity and it’s something that can happen to anyone, at any time. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) prepares for the eventuality, and whilst this article covers some of the basics, a more detailed explanation can be found by visiting www.heritagewillwriting.co.uk Lasting Powers of Attorney – e Basics • A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that lets you ‘the donor’ appoint one or more people (‘the attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on your behalf. e important thing is that you get to choose who will act on your behalf, and you are able to choose people you can trust - people that will ful l their legal responsibility to act in your best interest • If you lose mental capacity and don’t have a Lasting Power of Attorney in place, the Court of Protection will appoint a Deputy to manage your a airs on your behalf. is will involve signi cant legal fees, including annual supervision fees of up to £800, application fees, doctors certi cation fees, a security bond, a deputy fee and a long delay before the Deputyship Order is issued • It’s a common misconception that, in the absence of a Lasting Power of Attorney, your partner or close family member (next of kin) can make decisions on your behalf when you are no longer able to do so - this isn’t the case • It’s another popular common misconception that joint bank accounts can still be used when one of the account holders loses capacity. is isn’t true - in practice, the bank will freeze joint bank accounts, unless there’s a Lasting Power of Attorney in place. For most people trying to deal with a partner that has lost capacity, this represents a signi cant issue • ere are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney, one covers your property and nancial a airs, and the other covers your health and welfare. Many people assume that those making the nancial decisions also make decisions relating to health and care - this isn’t the case, which is why we highly recommend having both types in place • You can apply limits to the authority your attorneys have, if appropriate • Lasting Powers of Attorney replaced the Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA) in October 2007 If you need any help or advice with regards to preparing your Lasting Powers of Attorney, please contact us on: 023 8087 9243 or email: info@heritagewillwriting. co.uk.
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