LPA for Alzheimer's
Someone with Alzheimer's can make an LPA while they still have the capacity to understand the decision. Because Alzheimer's is progressive, the practical question is not whether an LPA is allowed but how soon it can be done, and whether both the financial and health LPAs are made before the disease affects the decisions each one covers.
Make your LPA online for £49
Answer simple questions. We prepare your LPA documents from your answers, ready for the next steps.
- £49 per LPA, or £79 for both types
- No solicitor required for straightforward LPAs
- Plain English questions, one screen at a time
- Save your progress and come back to it
- Checked for common completion errors as you go
- Review everything before you pay
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
Is an LPA still possible for your relative?
Only the person themselves can make an LPA, and only while they have mental capacity. Start here.
They have capacity and want to make one
You can help with every part of the paperwork. They make the decisions and sign.
You are not sure whether they have capacity
Capacity is decision-specific and a diagnosis alone does not settle it. Read how it is judged before you spend anything.
They have already lost capacity
An LPA can no longer be made — not by us and not by anyone else. The route is a deputyship application to the Court of Protection.
How Alzheimer's typically progresses, and why timing follows from that
Alzheimer's disease usually develops gradually, often over several years, moving broadly from mild memory and word-finding difficulty, through a moderate stage where day-to-day tasks and judgement are more affected, to a later stage where understanding new information becomes very difficult. There is no fixed timetable, and the pace varies a great deal between individuals.
That gradual pattern is precisely why timing matters so much for an LPA. Early on, the donor is usually well able to say who they trust and what they want. In the moderate stage, capacity for this particular decision may still be present but is more likely to need a professional to confirm it. Later, the same conversation is unlikely to be possible at all. An LPA made early stays dormant until it is needed — there is no downside to having it in place sooner, and a real cost to leaving it until the disease has moved on.
Once capacity is gone, the door closes
Nobody can make an LPA for another adult. If capacity is lost first, the family faces a Court of Protection deputyship application instead, usually costing several hundred pounds in fees plus ongoing supervision — see what happens if capacity is already lost.
Why both LPAs usually matter with Alzheimer's specifically
Alzheimer's tends to raise financial and care questions at different points, which is why families are sometimes tempted to make only the one that feels urgent right now. That is usually a mistake with a progressive condition, because the second LPA may become harder to make just when it is needed most.
Financially, bills, pension income, and possibly the sale of a property to fund care all need someone with authority to act — that is the Property & Financial Affairs LPA (LP1F). On the care side, decisions about moving into a care home, day-to-day welfare, and consenting to or refusing medical treatment need the Health & Welfare LPA (LP1H). A financial LPA gives no authority at all over care or medical decisions, and vice versa.
| What is needed | Which LPA | Typically arises |
|---|---|---|
| Paying bills, managing bank accounts, pensions | Property & Financial Affairs (LP1F) | Often the first concern |
| Selling or letting the home to fund care | Property & Financial Affairs (LP1F) | Middle stage, if care costs rise |
| Care home moves and day-to-day care | Health & Welfare (LP1H) | Middle to later stage |
| Consenting to or refusing treatment | Health & Welfare (LP1H) | Any stage, including sudden illness |
Involving the GP
Where there is a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, using the GP, a memory clinic clinician or a solicitor as certificate provider is usually the safer course, because they confirm the donor understands the LPA at the time of signing — exactly the point that could be questioned later if a family member disagrees or the condition has already progressed by the time anyone raises it.
A GP who already knows the donor is often well placed to judge whether today is a good day for the conversation, and can keep a short note of what was discussed. This is a separate, private conversation from any clinical appointment about the Alzheimer's itself, and the GP may charge a fee for acting as certificate provider, which is not part of our price. If there is any doubt about whether the GP is available or willing to do this, it is worth asking early rather than after the forms are otherwise ready.
A worked example
Robert was diagnosed with Alzheimer's two years ago. His wife Pat made the financial LPA with him early on, when he could clearly explain who he wanted and why. She held off on the health LPA, thinking it could wait until it was actually needed. Eighteen months later, when Robert's condition had progressed and a decision about residential care became pressing, his GP assessed that he no longer had the capacity to make a new LPA. Pat had to apply for a personal welfare deputyship through the Court of Protection to get authority over Robert's care decisions — a process that took several months and cost considerably more than making the second LPA alongside the first would have.
What it costs
Our fee is £49 for one LPA or £79 for both — see pricing. The Office of the Public Guardian charges £92 to register each LPA, and reductions or exemptions are available on low income or certain benefits. A professional certificate provider may charge their own fee on top. For a full breakdown of costs against using a solicitor, see LPA cost and LPA vs a solicitor.
Common questions
Is an LPA valid if the donor had Alzheimer's when they signed?
Yes, provided they had capacity for that decision at that time and the certificate provider confirmed it.
Can the attorney start acting straight away?
A financial LPA can be used with the donor's consent once registered. A health LPA can only be used once the donor lacks capacity for the decision in question.
We only made the financial LPA — is that a problem?
It can become one. Financial LPAs give no authority over care or medical decisions, so if Alzheimer's progresses before a health LPA is made, the family may need a separate deputyship application for welfare decisions.
Does the GP have to be the certificate provider?
No, but where there is a diagnosis, a GP or other professional is usually the safer choice, since their confirmation carries more weight if the LPA is ever questioned later.
What happens once Robert-style progression makes capacity doubtful?
Ask the GP for a capacity assessment before assuming either way. If capacity for this decision is confirmed, act immediately; if it has gone, the route is deputyship rather than an LPA.
Read next
Where this fits
This page is part of Parents, couples and capacity. The pages below take it further.
- Make an LPA online
The whole journey end to end: questions, documents, signing and registration.
- What an LPA costs in 2026
Our £49 and £79 prices, the £92 OPG registration fee, and solicitor comparisons.
Helping a parent or partner?
They make the decisions and sign, you can do all the paperwork. Start with the free capacity check.
The Office of the Public Guardian charges a separate £92 to register each LPA.
This is general information about Lasting Powers of Attorney in England and Wales. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice about your situation. What we do and do not do.