Power of attorney for an elderly parent
If you are helping mum or dad get their affairs in order, here is how a lasting power of attorney works, and how to set one up while it is still possible.
In short
You cannot make an LPA for your parent, but you can help them make their own while they still have mental capacity. Your parent chooses their attorneys, often an adult child, and signs the forms. If they have already lost capacity, an LPA is no longer possible and the family must apply to the Court of Protection instead, which is why acting early matters.
The key point
Capacity is the window that closes
An LPA can only be made while your parent understands the decision. Once that is gone, the only route is a slow court deputyship. Setting one up now is the single most useful thing a family can do.
They decide, you help
Your parent is the donor. You can organise everything and sit alongside them, but the choices and signature are theirs.
Gentle to complete
Answers can be given in plain English, at their pace, over more than one sitting. No forms to wrestle with alone.
Completed correctly
We complete the official form correctly from your answers and send it with a step-by-step signing pack, so a tiring process is not wasted on a technicality.
Which to set up
Usually both types
Money and care are separate decisions, so there are two LPAs. Most families set up both at once.
Frequently asked questions
Can I set up a power of attorney for my parent?
You cannot make it for them, but you can help them make their own while they still have mental capacity. Your parent is the donor and must choose their attorneys and sign the forms themselves. You can organise and support the process.
What if my parent has already lost capacity?
Then it is too late for an LPA, because making one needs mental capacity. The route instead is to apply to the Court of Protection to become their deputy, which is slower and more costly. This is exactly why families set up LPAs early.
Can I be my parent's attorney?
Yes. Adult children are among the most common attorneys. Your parent can appoint you alone, or alongside siblings, and decide whether you act together or separately.
Should my parent set up both types?
Most do. A property and financial affairs LPA lets you help with money and bills; a health and welfare LPA lets you have a say in care and treatment. Together they cover both sides of later life.
How do we start?
Your parent answers a few plain-English questions with you alongside. We complete the official forms correctly from those answers and email them with a step-by-step signing pack, and your parent signs. It is designed to be gentle for someone who finds paperwork tiring.
LPASafe covers England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different systems. We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. The LP1F and LP1H forms are available free on gov.uk.
Ready when you are
Help them while you still can
Set up both LPAs gently, at their pace. We prepare and check everything; your parent just signs.