Advice & Support

If you have immediate concerns …

about the safety, neglect or the suspected ongoing abuse of an adult, please either:

• Call or message the Hourglass elder abuse charity’s 24/7 Helpline – 0808 808 8141
• Call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 or Online Live chat
• Contact your local council’s Adult Social Services department.
• Or call 999 if someone is in immediate danger – and/or your local police if you think someone has committed a criminal offence.

If the abuser is an LPA attorney

If you also believe that the perpetrator of the abuse is the abuse victim’s Lasting Power of Attorney (or, in Northern Ireland, Enduring Power of Attorney), then please also report your concerns to:

• Office of the Public Guardian (England and Wales) – the OPG’s pages on how to get help if you have concerns that someone is being abused or neglected under a Lasting Power of Attorney are here.
• Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland)
• Office of Care and Protection (Northern Ireland)

Should I seek independent legal advice?

If the donor has died – so the OPG has no powers to investigate – or you want to bring the abuse perpetrator to justice, or recover the donor’s stolen or misspent funds, then you may wish seek independent legal advice.

Independent legal advice may also be valuable in the following situations:

• When creating a new LPA – or considering changing one that you have already made. A private practice solicitor who specialises in probate should be well-placed to help you understand what an LPA is, what to consider in choosing your attorney(s), and whether your LPA may need to contain specific conditions (e.g. that certain key decisions, like selling your home or being moved into a care home, must be made jointly by both attorneys).
• If considering applying directly to the Court of Protection (England & Wales) to revoke an LPA (e.g. where the OPG is not prepared to investigate or act).
• To understand the implications of reporting suspected financial abuse to the police (and therefore, potentially initating criminal proceedings against an LPA attorney); or, alternatively, seek to make a claim in civil courts to recover the stolen or misspent donor’s funds from the LPA attorney.

Other organisations or websites you may find useful

Citizen’s Advice – National charity and network of local charities offering confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Can advise on a wide range of problems.

Older People’s Commissioner for Wales has produced an ‘easy read’ guide for older people on Lasting Power of Attorney.

Society of Later Life Advisers – SOLLA helps people and their families in finding trusted accredited financial advisers who understand financial needs in later life.

Association of Lifetime Lawyers – formerly Solicitors For the Elderly (SFE). The Association of Lifetime Lawyers is a community of specialist legal professionals on a mission to support vulnerable and older people with the right legal advice.

STEP – a global professional body, with more than 21,000 members comprising lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures. While the organisation is primarily for professionals, they produce excellent resources and advice, for example to ‘Spot the signs’ of financial abuse, and research reports such as Loss of Mental Capacity: A Global Perspective.

Predatory Marriage UK A campaign website aiming to reforming marriage laws and procedures to protect people with dementia.