New money and legal guide for people with dementia and carers

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06 March 2006
To:News / Financial Editors

A new and vital guide to legal and financial matters for people with dementia and their carers in Scotland is published today. Dementia: Money and Legal Matters - A Guide, is published by Alzheimer Scotland, with support from Dunfermline Building Society.

The guide contains up-to-date information on the provisions of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, including guardianship, intervention orders, medical decision-making and research, and on the new Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Maureen Thom, Information Manager for Alzheimer Scotland says, “Dementia: Money & Legal Matters is for those with early stage dementia and for people helping or caring for someone with dementia at any stage of the illness. It will help them to sort out day-to-day money matters and suggests future arrangements for the person with dementia to consider while he or she is able to make decisions.”

In Scotland, over 63,000 people have dementia. It is a progressive illness, gradually destroying mental abilities. People with dementia and their families can face difficulties unless they take action early on in the illness. The booklet answers questions including:

• How can a financial or welfare power of attorney help?
• How can I access money in my relative’s account to pay their bills?
• What benefits can we apply for?
• What will happen to my house if I go into a home?
• What help is there help to pay for residential or nursing home care?
• Does my relative need a guardian?

Dunfermline Building Society Chief Executive Graeme Dalziel said “We are delighted to support the production of a new, updated edition of this valuable guide. Although a diagnosis of dementia can be devastating for individuals and their families, putting their affairs in order can help remove some concerns about what the future holds”.

The 60 page guide costs £5.00, post free. Single copies are free to carers and people with dementia in Scotland, who should call the freephone Dementia Helpline on 0808 808 3000.

Purchase online

Interviews can be arranged with Maureen Thom, Information Manager or Kate Fearnley, Policy Director.

Please give our Freephone 24hr Dementia Helpline telephone number: 0808 808 3000 and our website address: www.alzscot.org at the end of articles.

Contact details:

Sarah Bromley, PR & Marketing Manager, tel 0131 243 1453, mob 07966 458 869, sbromley@alzscot.org
Maureen Thom, Information Manager, tel 0131 243 1453, mthom@alzscot.org
Kate Fearnley, Public Policy Director, tel 0131 243 1453, mob 07791028 317, kfearnley@alzscot.org

Note for Editor:

1 Review copy
Available on request – call 0131 243 1453 (Elizabeth Darke)

2 How the guide can help
Dementia affects the memory and the ability to work things out. Coping with money is often an early difficulty. As the illness progresses, money and legal matters can become harder to manage so making plans as early as possible is very important.

This guide suggests arrangements that people with dementia can put in place early on while they are able to make decisions, including appointing someone (an attorney) to manage their financial and/or welfare affairs in the future.

Even where people have not planned ahead, the guide can be useful. If it is no longer possible for the person with dementia to set up a Power of Attorney, family or friends can help him or her with financial affairs, including collecting pensions and managing payment of household bills. Where more powers are needed, it may be necessary to apply to the courts for an intervention order or guardianship, and this process is explained.

While money matters are important, it is also important to consider the personal welfare of the person with dementia. Each of us takes many decisions which affect our personal welfare – what to wear, what to eat, when to get up in the morning. But we also take larger decisions such as what medical treatment to have or where we want to live. The guide explains the role of a welfare attorney in supporting the persion with dementia and explains the rules surrounding the provision of medical treatment. New to this edition of the guide is a section on the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 which sets out the rules governing when a person with a mental disorder (including dementia) can be sent to or detained in a psychiatric hospital or receive treatment in the community.

The guide sets out the main welfare benefits available to people with dementia and their carers and explains how community care services can be arranged. In the later stages of the illness, the person with dementia may no longer be able to be cared for in his or her own home. As well as being a difficult decision for families and carers to make, it can also be worrying financially – how much will the care home cost? what will happen to the person’s house? The guide explains how a care home place can be found, how a financial assessment is carried out and what happens to welfare benefits.

Dementia affects approximately 63,000 people in Scotland.
Alzheimer’s disease is the main form of dementia. The second most common is vascular dementia. As yet there is no cure.

Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland’s foremost voluntary organisation working for people with dementia and their carers. It:

• speaks out for the rights and concerns of people with dementia and their carers;
• operates services on over 60 sites throughout Scotland providing practical services such as day, evening and weekend centres, home care and befriending and carers' support services;
• provides the 24 hour national freephone Dementia Helpline (0808 808 3000);
• provides the website www.alzscot.org;
• supports a network of over 40 carers' support groups;
• provides information to carers, professionals and people with dementia;
• publishes leaflets, booklets, reports and a quarterly newsletter keeping carers and professionals up-to-date
• has a research programme.