David and his wife Jean were 73, they DID consider making ‘Lasting Powers of Attorney’ (LPAs) but wrongly concluded that they were only for old people with DEMENTIA, and would leave it for now. ‘This is what happened’ David had a serious stroke in 2010 and although he eventually left hospital to live at home, he had lost his capacity as defined by the 2005 Mental Capacity Act and could not make financial decisions. Jean, desperate for money to raise funds to reorganise the house and pay for David’s carers made enquiries about EQUITY RELEASE but was horrified to find out that as she and David owned the house jointly, David was not allowed to sign because of his condition and Jean could not sign for David because there were no LPA’s in place and Jean’s only option was to apply to the ‘Court of Protection’ to get permission to obtain the equity release, the legal costs & fees were nearly £3,000 and it took 18 months to sort out. David died in 2019, and in those 9 years, apart from the ongoing intrusion and bureaucracy of the ‘Court of Protection’ Jean had spent in the region of £18,000 in various fees and costs obtaining and maintaining the ‘Deputyship Order’.