Accidents and illness do happen.  If something causes you to lose your mental capacity, and you are no longer able to communicate with your treating doctors or have a say in how you are cared for and where you live, you want to know that someone you trust will be in charge.  For this reason, Lasting Powers of Attorney are really important, in delegating your ‘voice’ to that person. If you have not done this yourself, the Court will make the appointment instead.

In relation to medical care, you can also state your wishes in relation to life prolonging treatment by writing an Advance Decision.  You can use an Advance Statement to record your wishes about ongoing personal care and where you would like to live, in case you lose capacity to communicate these views.

When life comes to an end, our money and possessions, however little, can only be shared out in accordance with our wishes if we have written a Will.  If there’s no Will, they are distributed according to the Intestacy Rules. These are set out by the Government and those you love have no power to change these Rules.

You may want to use your Will to state who will care for your children, how much of your money they should inherit and when.  In circumstances where a child under 18 loses their parents, the Court decides who will look after them and the Court controls their inheritance until they are 18.