Back

Our offices will be closed over the Easter weekend from 5:30pm on Thursday 28 March. We will reopen as usual at 9am on Tuesday 2 April.

Get in Touch Menu

Willans supports Dementia Awareness Week

16 May 2016

Willans is helping to promote Dementia Awareness Week running from 15 May – 21 May.

This national campaign week is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society which report that:

  • there are over 850,000 people in the UK with dementia and that number is predicted to rise to over 1 million by 2025
  • in 2016 225,000 people will develop dementia – that is one every three minutes
  • 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have dementia
  • 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia or severe memory problems
  • there are over 40,000 people aged under 65 with dementia in the UK
  • more than 25,000 people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK are affected by dementia.

Everybody starts to become more forgetful as they grow older. However, dementia is different. It is a brain disease which affects daily life and is progressive. It is not a natural part of ageing. Dementia often starts with memory problems, but can go on to affect other parts of the brain causing:

  • difficulty coping with everyday tasks
  • difficulty in communicating
  • changes in mood, judgment or personality.

There may come a time when a person suffering from dementia is no longer able to manage their affairs. This can cause enormous problems and costs for the family if planning for this eventuality has not taken place. It would mean an application to the Court of Protection for the appointment of a deputy to look after the person’s affairs. This is a lengthy process and is costly. There will then be an ongoing involvement with the Court of Protection; annual accounts may have to be lodged and anytime a decision of substance (eg the sale of a house) has to be made a court’s consent will be required.

It is possible, as long as a person has capacity, to make a lasting power of attorney appointing a family member or trusted friend to step in and make financial and medical decisions if the time comes when that person is unable to do so themselves. In the long term this is much easier for the family to manage than having a deputy in place.

You are never too young to set up a lasting power of attorney – you simply do not know what the future is going to bring.

Feel free to contact the wills, probate and trusts department if you would like help or have any questions.

Simon joined us in 2014 having moved from QualitySolicitors Thomson & Bancks where he headed their private client department, and now leads our wills, trusts and probate team. He deals with all aspects of private client work such as trusts (including personal injury trusts), wills, powers of attorney, Court of Protection and estate planning and administration. Simon is also a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners and the Law Society Private Client Section. 

We're here to help
Disclaimer: All legal information is correct at the time of publication but please be aware that laws may change over time. This article contains general legal information but should not be relied upon as legal advice. Please seek professional legal advice about your specific situation - contact us; we’d be delighted to help.
Contact
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
View profile
Simon Cook
Related services
Share this article
Resources to help

Related articles

Gifting: how to minimise inheritance tax

Wills, trusts & probate

How can you minimise the amount of inheritance tax when you’re looking to pass things on to other people? Our wills, trusts & probate experts look into how gifting can…

Ashley Wood LLB (Hons), LLM
Solicitor

Own a property abroad? Your will can still be affected by European law

Wills, trusts & probate

Do you own a property abroad? If so, did you know that your will can still be affected by European law? If not, it’s worth reading on. Despite opting out…

Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner

Left out of a will? Act quickly to claim under the Inheritance Act 1975

Inheritance & trust disputes

When writing a will, you can leave an estate to whoever you like. However, leaving a relative or dependent out of a will doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t benefit; if…

Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Contact us