Britain faces Dementia Crisis as only 3% prepare for Diagnosis

This above “dementia crisis” headline appeared in a recent edition of the Times newspaper.  The article commented that dementia is the biggest single cause of death in England and Wales. It was responsible for 12% of deaths in 2016, the number diagnosed with the condition has risen by 54% in ten years. Despite this, and the understandable concern about loss of capacity, only 3% of the population have prepared for this eventuality.

A group of organisations, including Solicitors for the Elderly, the Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK and Dying Matters, has reported recently on such matters.

Lakshmi Turner, Chief Executive of Solicitors for the Elderly, commented “most of us do not like thinking about, let alone talking about, death, disability or disease, despite the fact that it touches all our lives – but it is essential that we do so.”

Professor Ilora, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff commented “when a person loses capacity to take decisions, it is sad to see families and professionals struggling to try to determine what a person would have wanted.  Delays and stress can be avoided by appointing someone to speak for you when you can no longer speak up for yourself”.

Poole Alcock LLP Solicitors have a dedicated Private Client team who specialise in planning for later life.  This includes not only help with preparing a Will but also Lasting Powers of Attorney.  Lasting powers of Attorney enable you to name who you would like to act as your Attorney in the future.  They enable you to have control over who you would like to deal with your affairs, whether property and finances, or health and welfare.

Making a will and creating Lasting Powers of Attorney need not be a daunting exercise. Every day of the week our team meet people to discuss these issues and to help them make the decisions necessary to plan for the future.

If you would like to discuss the above then please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team on 01270 625478 and we will be happy to help. Alternatively you can visit our wills and probate services page here or complete the form linked here and we will call you back.