An ageing population and fears over family rifts have led to a surge in the number of people handing over their financial affairs to friends or family members in case they should fall ill.
In the year to April, 759,976 applications were made to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) for a friend or family member to be granted lasting power of attorney (LPA) — the right to control the finances of a “donor” when they lack mental capacity. This compares with 52,492 applications 10 years ago.
About six in 10 applications for an LPA were made by women, with the vast majority aged over 60, according to official data.
Meanwhile, the number of people approaching the Court of Protection, an arm of the
