Her Majesty the Queen celebrated her 96th Birthday this year (2022) and it’s interesting to consider that in 1926, the year of her birth, the average life expectancy for a women was just 62.

Time has certainly moved on and so too has life expectancy. The International Longevity Centre estimates that 0.15% of the UK are now either the same age or older than the Queen. In fact, the number of people aged 100 and over has risen by 72% in the last decade.
Even if you don’t make it to 100, the chances are that with proper healthcare, a good diet and exercise and regardless of whether your male or female, there is a strong possibility that you will live into your 80’s. This seemingly normal age expectation is something that was more of a rare occurrence 40 years ago.

With all this in mind, it’s now more important than ever, that if you are in senior years that you consider a ‘Lasting Power of Attorney’ (LPA). An LPA is a legal document that lets you (the donor) appoint one or more people (known as attorney’s) to help you make decisions, or in certain circumstances, make decisions on your behalf should your future health dictate. In doing this, you help to guarantee what happens to you, in the future, should you have an accident or an illness that prevents you from making your own decisions.

We hope you won’t too. However, the latest research shows that, within the UK, 1in 14 of over 65’s has dementia and that in just 18 years from now, the figure will be 1.5 million – up from 850,000! It’s a fact that because we are all living longer, dementia – in all forms – is very much on the increase. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning such as thinking, remembering and reasoning. As the illness progresses, it interferes with life’s normal daily activities. Difficulty speaking, expressing thoughts, reading, writing and handling necessary day to day finances are common issues with dementia sufferers. We are certain that, should we succumb to dementia, we would rather have well trusted loved ones, who know us, to act on our behalf and This is precisely what an LPA allows.

For further information on setting up an LPA contact the team here at Dunham McCarthy.