Managing someone else’s affairs can mean many things, including looking after their bank accounts, investments, savings, or other financial responsibilities. It may also involve buying and selling property on their behalf and making decisions about their health care and day-to-day responsibilities.
You may want to manage their affairs as they are ill or disabled, either temporarily or on a long-term basis. Additionally, it might be because they will be out of the country for some time or are unable to make decisions for themselves, as a result of mental illness or other problems.
Below we will look at four important things you need to know about managing the affairs of a vulnerable person.
Different Ways of Managing another Person’s Affairs
There are different ways of managing someone else’s affairs, which depend mainly on the individual circumstances of the person whose affairs you want to manage. It will also be important to consider whether or not they have mental capacity.
In general, you can be appointed to look after someone else’s affairs with a letter or a third party mandate to deal with a bank, building society, or other financial accounts. This can also be authorized with a power of attorney, which will provide you with legal authority to act on another person’s behalf. In addition, you can also do this as a deputy appointed by the Court of Protection.
When to Apply To A Court
You can apply to a court to assist someone without mental capacity with both one-off and long-term decisions. In some cases, problems may arise and you may require the expertise of Court of Protection solicitors to handle different Court of Protection problems and provide legal advice.
For example, Hugh James is a leading law firm, which can support you with a variety of Court of Protection disputes and applications to protect the best interests of a vulnerable loved one. They are recognized leaders in the field, who aim to resolve disputes as quickly as possible, ensuring that everything goes smoothly.
When Does Someone Lack Mental Capacity
If someone can make decisions for themselves, it can be said that they have a mental capacity to manage their own affairs. However, if they are unable to make decisions due to some form of mental disability, it may be concluded that they lack the mental capacity to make decisions.
The disability might be temporary or permanent and might be caused by dementia, brain injury, a stroke, alcohol or drug misuse, or the side effects of medical treatment. Moreover, at times a person may have the capacity to make some decisions, but not others.
How To Make Decisions In Someone Else’s Best Interests
Any decisions that you need to make on someone else’s behalf must be right for them. It’s important to take into consideration what they would have decided if they could, as well as their past and present wishes and values, including political, moral, and religious views.
Be careful not to make assumptions based on their gender, age, ethnic background, sexuality, behavior, or health. As a result, it might be helpful to write down what they have shared that is important to them or speak to friends or family, who know them well.