Capacity Action Pack
When a parent's capacity starts to slip — what to put in place this month, this quarter, this year.
What this brief is
Sequencing LPAs, GP discussion, financial deputyship vs LPA, the property and affairs handover, and the social signals families miss for too long. Sample uses George Pemberton (78, early-stage vascular dementia) with Sarah and Mark as the adult children acting.
How this brief is read
Read the sample on this page, using the Pemberton-Walsh household throughout.
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Household Continuity Dossier membership (£195 first year, then £99/year) holds the record on the register, prompts the annual review, and issues the Governance Letter when a circumstance changes.
From the brief
A Lasting Power of Attorney is not a forecast of loss. It is a record naming who can act for you on specific matters if you cannot act for yourself. The most common reasons people need them are not what people expect — they are often temporary (post-surgery, stroke recovery, depression) rather than progressive. Having them in place changes nothing about your day-to-day life. Not having them means that if a situation arises, only the Court of Protection can grant the authority — a 16–22 week process during which routine financial decisions are frozen.
The two tracks
LPAs come in two separate documents. Most people set up both. They cover different things and can name different attorneys if appropriate.
On naming attorneys: Both LPAs can name the same people or different people. Many households name a child for Health & Welfare and a sibling or solicitor for Property & Financial. Multiple attorneys can act jointly (all must agree) or jointly and severally (any can act alone). The "jointly and severally" arrangement is usually more workable in practice.
The four actions, in order
Sequenced so each step prepares the next. Most households complete the full sequence in two months, with the 8–20 week OPG registration window running in the background.
The full brief continues — personalised with your household's details.