£300m investment to tackle challenges of our ageing society

The government has announced it’s providing a £300m fund to help the 10 million Britons alive today who can expect to live to 100 or more.

The extra money will include grants for research into age-related illnesses such as dementia.

The ‘healthy ageing programme’ will drive the development of new products and services to help people to live in their homes for longer, tackle loneliness, and increase independence and wellbeing.

Separately, with an estimated 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, the government will be investing an extra £40m into the UK Dementia Research Institute to create a new hub in partnership with University College London that will host 350 leading scientists.

The extra funding shows the importance the government attaches to the growing problem of dementia and related illnesses as the population ages.

We cannot predict our future health, but we can take legal steps to protect our interests in case there is ever a time when we lose mental capacity and can’t make decisions for ourselves. One of the best ways to do this is to set up lasting powers of attorney (LPA).

These are legal documents that enable you appoint someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf if you ever lose the capacity to make such decisions for yourself. You can appoint deputies to look after your financial matters or health and welfare issues, or both if you so choose.

LPAs give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you and your loved ones will be protected whatever happens in the future.

Please contact Jonathan King if you would like information about setting up a lasting power of attorney.