A DORSET disability charity is encouraging the local community to think ahead to avoid potential stress for their family in the future.

The advice team at Divers Abilities is urging people to think about lasting power of attorney (LPA), which ensures that a family member will have someone to manage their money, access bank accounts or make welfare decisions on their behalf if they lose mental capacity.

The charity says without creating a lasting power of attorney, a spouse, partner or next of kin does not have the legal power to manage money and bank accounts can be frozen.

Therefore, the family could have to apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order to get the legal power, which is a more complicated, more expensive and a slower process to go through than creating and registering an LPA.

Nikki Haswell, advice manager at Diverse Abilities, said: "Most people don’t even think about putting a lasting power of attorney in place, because they assume their loved ones would automatically have this power.

"This is not the case though in English law and if you or a family member lose capacity and have not made a LPA, a relative can’t just step in and act on their behalf, which could cause much distress, expense and frustration in the future – normally at a time that it is not needed."

To help the local Dorset community, the charity’s advice team is able provide guidance on lasting power of attorneys, as well as provide help filling in the forms, registering the LPA and applying for a reduction in fees.

A previous client of the advice team said: “I am very grateful to Diverse Abilities for their help in drawing up the lasting power of attorneys (LPAs), for my parents.

"I had not realised that a solicitor is not always required and Diverse Abilities helped explain and arrange necessary documentation in a professional and sensitive manner."

For more information about the service contact the Diverse Abilities advice team on 0300 330 5514 or find out more at diverseabilities.org.uk/advice