lpa

GUIDE TO THETHE LASTING POWER

OF ATTORNEY

01Guide to theLasting Power of

Attorney

CONTENTS

Foreword 03

PART A WHAT IS THE MENTAL CAPACITY 04 ACT AND WHAT DO I NEED TO

KNOW ABOUT IT?

A1. What is mental capacity? 04

A2. What is the Mental Capacity Act 05 and why do we need this Act?

A3. What does the Office of the 06Public Guardian do?

PART B THE LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY 08

B1. What is the Lasting Power of Attorney? 08

B2. Who can be my donee? 09

B3. How many donees can I have? 09

B4. If I have more than one donee, 10how should they decide matterson my behalf?

B5. What types of decisions can 10donees make?

B6. Restrictions 14

B7. Excluded decisions 15

PART C WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I DECIDE THAT 16I WANT TO MAKE A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?

C1. How do I make my Lasting Power 16of Attorney?

C2. How long will the process take? 17

C3. Things to do after the LPA is registered 18

C4. What is the purpose of having a 19Named Person in my LPA?

C5. Can someone decline to be my donee? 19

C6. What happens if I change my mind after 20I register a Lasting Power of Attoney?

C7. What are the fees involved in making 20an LPA?

PART D WHAT ARE THE 5 PRINCIPLES UNDER THE 21MENTAL CAPACITY ACT AND HOW DOI APPLY THEM?

PART E SAMPLE CHECKLIST TO REGISTER AN LPA 30

Glossary 31

02 Guide to theLasting Powerof Attorney

This booklet provides an overview of whatthe Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is andwhat you should do if you decide to makeone.

The scenarios and examples in this guide arefor illustration only and use fictitiouscharacters and situations. They are not asubstitute for professional advice inappropriate cases and are not in any way tobe taken as precedents for decisions thatneed to be made in similar situations. Theyare also not indicative of how a court woulddecide any particular case, as that woulddepend on the actual facts of each casebefore the court, which may include relevantfacts that are not considered in the examples.

03Guide to theLasting Power

of Attorney

FOREWORD

PART A

WHAT IS THE MENTAL CAPACITY ACT AND WHATDO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT?

Mental capacity is assessed on a case-by-case basis and cannotbe assumed based only on the person suffering a particularmedical condition. Furthermore, a persons lack of mentalcapacity cannot be based only on age, how a person looks, hiscondition or any aspect of behaviour.

A1. WHAT IS MENTAL CAPACITY?

Mental capacity is the ability of theperson to make a specific decision at aparticular time.


A person may have the capacity to makesome decisions at a particular time, but notothers. For example, a person may be able togo to the market and buy food but not ableto handle large sums of money or makeinvestment decisions. Mental capacity mayimprove or degrade over time.


of Attorney

A2. WHAT IS THE MENTAL CAPACITY ACT AND WHY DOWE NEED THIS ACT?The Mental Capacity Act enables people to plan aheadand gives them the power to make choices for their futurebefore they lose their mental capacity. It addresses theneed to make decisions for persons who are 21 years orolder when they lack mental capacity to make thosedecisions for themselves. The Act also:

a. Allows people to voluntarily make a Lasting Power ofAttorney to appoint one or more persons (donees) toact and make decisions on their behalf if and whenthey lack mental capacity in the future.

b. Allows the court to appoint a deputy to act and makedecisions on behalf of a person who lacks mentalcapacity where a decision is required but the persondoes not have a proxy decision-maker.

c. Allows parents of children with intellectual disabilitiesto apply to the court to appoint a deputy for theirchild.

d. Gives legal protection for acts done by anyone inconnection with the care and treatment of a personwho lacks mental capacity if certain conditions aremet, including the requirement that the act is donein the best interests of that person.

e. Provides safeguards to protect persons who lackmental capacity.

A3. WHAT DOES THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIANDO?

The Public GuardianThe Public Guardian works towards protecting the dignityand interests of individuals who lack mental capacityand are vulnerable. He is the head of the Office of thePublic Guardian.

The functions of the Public GuardianThe Public Guardian carries out various functions towardsenabling and protecting persons who lack capacity.These functions include:

a. Maintaining a register of Lasting Powers of Attorneyand a register of court orders that appoint deputies,

b. Supervising deputies,

c. Receiving reports from donees and deputies,

d. Investigating any alleged violation of any provisionin the Mental Capacity Act, including complaintsabout the way in which donees and deputies areexercising their powers.

The Office of the Public Guardian The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) supports

the Public Guardian in carrying out his functions.

The OPG is a division of the Ministry of CommunityDevelopment, Youth and Sports.


The role of Board of VisitorsThe roles of the Board of Visitors are to:

visit persons who lack capacity, donees or deputiesas may be requested by the Public Guardian orthe Court, and

check on the well-being of the person who lackscapacity.

There are 2 types of visitors:

a. Special Visitors who areregistered medical practitionersor persons who have the relevantexpertise about impairment of,or disturbance in, the functioningof the mind or brain.

b. General Visitors who neednot be medically qualified.


of Attorney


PART B

THE LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY

B1. WHAT IS THE LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document thatallows a person who is 21 years of age or older (known asdonor), and who has mental capacity, to voluntarily appointone or more persons (known as donee(s)), to act and makedecisions on his behalf about his personal welfare matters,property & affairs matters or both matters when he lacksmental capacity to make those decisions in the future.

Unlike a Power of Attorney that generally ceases to haveeffect when the donor loses his mental capacity, an LPAtakes effect when the donor loses capacity. The LPA allowsyou to plan for such a possible occurrence.

The authority granted under the LPA to a donee will notbe effective until the time the donor loses mental capacity.

There are 2 prescribed forms of the LPA to cater to differentneeds:

OPG Form 1 is a form of LPA that you can use ifyou wish to give your donee or donees powers tomake decisions about all matters for you. You mayselect to give your donee(s) powers to decidematters about:

your personal welfare (including health care), or

your property & affairs (including financial matters), or

both your personal welfare and property & affairs.

OPG Form 2 is to be used if you have morerequirements to be included in your LPA, for exampleyou wish to give specific powers to your donee. Youwill need to engage a lawyer to make the LPA.

You may fill up Form OPG Form 1 yourself but you shouldconsult a lawyer if you do not know what it means to givesuch wide powers to your donee(s) or if you are uncertainhow to fill up the form. The forms can be downloadedfrom www.publicguardian.gov.sg.

Your donee should be someonetrustworthy, reliable and competent tomake decisions for you.

B2. WHO CAN BE MY DONEE?

A donee must be at least 21 years old.

A donee appointed to make decisions about personalwelfare must be an individual.

A donee appointed to make decisions about property &affairs may be:

an individual (but he/she must not be a bankrupt),or

a licensed trust company as defined in the TrustCompanies Act.

B3. HOW MANY DONEES CAN I HAVE?You may appoint one or more donees. There is nomaximum number of donees that you can appoint.

However, you should not appoint too many doneesbecause it may be difficult for them to agree on decisions.People who deal with the donees may become confusedabout which donee to deal with and to take decisionsfrom. You should choose donees that are willing to worktogether so differences in opinions may be resolvedamicably, thereby avoiding any deadlock.


of Attorney

B4. IF I HAVE MORE THAN ONE DONEE, HOW SHOULDTHEY DECIDE ON MATTERS ON MY BEHALF?If you appoint two or moredonees to make decisionsabout the same matters, youcan appoint them to act inany of the following ways:

Jointly: The donees haveto act together andcannot act separately.

Jointly and severally:The donees can take thedecisions together orseparately. Both types ofdecisions are valid.

Jointly on some mattersand jointly and severallyon others: The doneeshave to act jointly onsome matters; e.g. sale ofresidential property, butmay act separately onother matters; e.g. payinghousehold bills.

If you appoint more than twodonees and do not specify howthey are to act, the law assumesthey are to act jointly.

B5. WHAT TYPES OF DECISIONS CAN DONEES MAKE?

The decisions your donee will be able to make will dependon the powers you give him/her in your LPA.

You may authorise your donee to make decisions regarding:

a. your personal welfare (including health care matters), or

b. your property & affairs (including financial matters, or

c. both your personal welfare and your property & affairs.

Some decisions may involveboth personal welfare andproperty & affairs. Forexample, a decision whetherthe donor should live in anursing home or a live-innurse be engaged involvesboth the personal welfare ofthe donor as well as accessto the donors funds to payfor these services.

If the donee for personalwelfare decisions is also thedonee for property & affairsdecisions, the same personcan make these decisions.

If the donees are different,they will have to worktogether to ensure that thedecisions are carried out inthe best interests of thedonor.



of Attorney

Personal welfare doneeSome examples of the decisions a personal welfaredonee may be authorised to make include:

where the donor should live,

who the donor should live with,

day to day care decisions (e.g. what to wear andeat),

what social activities to take part in,

handling the donors personal correspondence,and

who the donor may have contact with.

The personal welfare donees appointmentis cancelled if the:

donee dies,

marriage between the donor and donee isdissolved (i.e. divorce) or annulled unless the LPAspecifically provides that it will not,

donee formally refuses the appointment as donee,or

donee lacks mental capacity.

However, the LPA is not cancelled and remains valid ifthere is a replacement donee appointed under it or thereis one or more surviving donees appointed to act jointlyand severally on any matter.

The power conferred by the LPA will be cancelled if theLPA appoints two or more donees to act jointly and thepower to one of those donees is cancelled.


Property & affairs doneeSome examples of the decisions a property & affairsdonee may be authorised to make include:

dealing with the donors property buying, selling,renting and mortgaging property,

opening, closing and operating the donors bankaccounts,

receiving dividends, income, inheritance benefitsor other financial entitlements on behalf of thedonor,

handling the donors tax matters,

paying the rent, mortgage repayments and household expenses of the donor,

investing the donors moneys, and

purchasing a vehicle or other equipmentthe donor needs.

The property & affairs donees appointmentis cancelled if the:

donor becomes a bankrupt or dies,

the donee (an individual) dies or becomes abankrupt,

the donee is a licensed trust company and itslicence has lapsed or been revoked

the donee (a licensed trust company) is liquidated,wound-up, dissolved or under judicial management,

the marriage between the donor and donee isdissolved (i.e. divorced) or annulled unless the LPAspecifically provides that it will not,

the donee formally refuses the appointment,

the donee lacks mental capacity.


of Attorney

However, the power conferred by the LPA is notcancelled and remains valid if there is a replacementdonee appointed under the LPA or there is one or moresurviving donees appointed to act jointly and severallyon any matter.

The power conferred by the LPA will be cancelled if theLPA appoints two or more donees to act jointly and thepower to one of those donees is cancelled.

You may restrict the scopeor exclude the types ofdecisions that a donee maymake; e.g. the donorappointing a donee forproperty & affairs mattersmay state in the LPA thatthe donee cannot makedecisions about investments.

If you choose not to restrictthe decisions your doneemay make, an LPA inOPG Form 1, whether forpersonal welfare and/orproperty & affairs, gives himauthority to make wide-ranging decisions on yourbehalf.

There are some restrictions on what donees can do andsome excluded decisions which donees cannot make.

If your donee has beenappointed to make decisionsabout personal welfare, hecannot make decisions aboutyour finances unless he is alsoauthorised to make decisionsabout your property & affairs.

If your donee has beenappointed to make decisionsabout property & affairs, hecannot make decisionsabout the donors welfareunless he is also authorisedto make decisions aboutyour personal welfare.


B6. RESTRICTIONS

General Restrictions

Your donee must not make a decision on your behalf ifhe/she knows or have reasonable grounds to believethat you have capacity to make that decision.

Specific Restrictions

Your donee may not:

a. consent or refuse the carrying out or continuation ofhealth care treatment for you (including the conductof clinical trials) unless he expressly authorise him/herto do so in your LPA.

b. consent or refuse life-sustaining treatment or anyother treatment that is necessary to prevent a seriousdeterioration in your condition.

c. execute a will for you.

d. make any Central Provident Fund (CPF) or insurancenomination or revoke such nomination for you.

e. make a gift of any of your property unless youexpressly authorise him/her to do so in your LPA.

f. do any act to restrain you unless:

the donee believes or has reasonable grounds tobelieve that you lack capacity and the restraint isnecessary to do in order to prevent harm to you;and

the restraining act is a proportionate response tothe likelihood of your suffering harm and theseriousness of the harm.

a. Consenting to marriage.b. Consenting to touching of a sexual nature.c. Consenting to divorce on the basis of 3 years separation.d. Consenting to a making of an adoption order.e. Adopting or renouncing a religion.f. Receiving treatment for change of gender.g. Consenting or revoking consent to treatment for sexual

sterilisation.h. Consenting or revoking consent to abortion.i. Registering or withdrawing an objection regarding the

removal of an organ from any person upon death.j. Making or revoking an advance medical directive.k. Making or revoking a gift of a body or any part of a

body.


of Attorney

B7. EXCLUDED DECISIONS

There are certain decisions that your donee is not allowedby law to make on your behalf. These decisions are:

PART C

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I DECIDE THAT I WANT TOMAKE A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?

C1. HOW DO I MAKE MY LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?

Step 1:Complete your LPA form.[Please refer to the guidebook, Guide to Filling Up theLasting Power of Attorney.]

Step 2:Inform the person(s) you named in your LPA of yourintention to register an LPA (see paragraph C4).

Step 3:You must register your LPA with OPG.You will need to do the following:

a. Complete the Application Form to register an LPA

b. Bring the following documents to OPG:- completed LPA application form- completed LPA form- original NRIC of donor- original NRIC of donee(s)- photograph of each donee (passport size)

If you are asking someone else to submit the Applicationand accompanying documents to OPG for you, you mustgive that person an authorisation letter addressed to OPG.

c. Pay the LPA registration fee.

Step 4:If there are no objections in the 6-week waiting period,your LPA will be registered. The stamp of OPG will beimpressed on the registered LPA. Each donee will beissued with a Donee ID card with a unique ID No. If adonees appointment is cancelled, that donees uniqueID No. will be cancelled.

Both the LPA forms and the Application form are availablefrom the Office of the Public Guardian, and fromwww.publicguardian.gov.sg.



of Attorney

An LPA can be registered by the:

donor,

donee or donees (if the LPA appoints them to actjointly), or

any of the donees if the LPA appoints the doneesto act jointly and severally.

Please note that:

You must be at least 21 years old and have mentalcapacity to make a valid LPA.

You must not be a bankrupt if you are appointinga donee to decide on property & affairs.

C2. HOW LONG WILL THE PROCESS TAKE?There is a mandatory waiting period of 6 weeks fromthe date notice is given by OPG of the application toregister the LPA. During this period, objections may beraised by the donees or the person(s) you named tobe notified of the application.

Your LPA will be registered after 6 weeks if the LPA ismade in accordance to the Act and no objection isreceived by OPG.

It is a criminal offence for a personwho applies to register an LPA toknowingly make a false statement ona material matter. A person convictedof this offence can be fined up to$10,000 or jailed for up to 2 years.


C3. THINGS TO DO AFTER THE LPA IS REGISTEREDYour LPA is an important document your donee(s) willneed to use if you lose mental capacity and they haveto make decisions for you.

You should keep the original LPA in a safe place andensure that your donee(s) will have access to it if theyneed to make decisions for you.

You should inform the people and institutions yourdonee(s) will have to deal with if you lose capacity thatyou have made an LPA. These include:

your doctor and other health care providers

your bank, the CPF Board and other institutionswith whom you have accounts (such as CentralDepository (Pte) Limited, insurance companies,stockbrokers).

Different people have different requirements. You shouldcheck with them if they have any requirements that youhave to comply with for them to accept authority of yourdonee(s) to act for you if you lose capacity.

If you cancel your LPA, the people you have informedabout your LPA should be notified of the cancellation toprevent your donee(s) from using the LPA in the eventyou lose capacity. You would also have to deliver theoriginal LPA and any copies of it to OPG to be cancelled.

C4. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A NAMED PERSONIN MY LPA?You can name a person in your LPA to be notified of yourapplication to register your LPA (known as the NamedPerson). The person(s) should be people who areconcerned about your well-being and understand yourcircumstances well.

You do not have to name a named person but it isadvisable to do so because the named person acts as asafeguard for your benefit. The named person(s) mayraise objections to the registration of your LPA if theyhave reasons to believe it was not properly made.

Such objections can be raised to the OPG within the6-week mandatory waiting period to register LPA.

C5. CAN SOMEONE DECLINE TO BE MY DONEE?Yes. A donee must be informed of your intentions to appoint him and he must give his consentby signing on the LPA. A person cannotbe named as donee if he/she does notconsent.


of Attorney


C6. WHAT HAPPENS IF I CHANGE MY MIND AFTER IREGISTER A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?

a. You may cancel your LPA if you have the mentalcapacity to do so.

b. You must notify the donee(s) and anyone else, whomyou may have earlier informed about the LPA of thecancellation.

c. You must notify the Public Guardian of thecancellation of the LPA.

d. Courts power to revoke LPA The Court may revoke an LPA if it is satisfied that

fraud or undue pressure was used to induce youto make the LPA.

If you cancel your LPA, you must bring the original LPAand any copy to OPG to be cancelled.

C7. WHAT ARE THE FEES INVOLVED IN MAKING AN LPA?The fees for making the LPA include:

a. Charge payable to the certificate issuer for makingthe LPA certificate. The amount of the charge varieswith the certificate issuer.

b. Application fee payable to OPG to register your LPA. Please refer to the fee table at www.publicguardian.gov.sg.

PART D

WHAT ARE THE 5 PRINCIPLES UNDER THE MENTALCAPACITY ACT AND HOW DO I APPLY THEM?

The statutory principles help a person to take part in thedecision-making process as far as possible, and protect himwhen he lacks capacity to do so.

When acting or taking decisions on behalf of a person wholacks mental capacity, these principles should be read alongsidethe provisions in the Act to ensure that the appropriate actionor decision is taken in each case.

The assessment of a lack of capacity cannot be based simplyon the persons appearance, age, condition or behaviour. So,people should be allowed to make their own decisions wherethey can.

Principle 1: Presumption of Capacity

It must be assumed that a person hascapacity to make a decision for himselfunless there is proof that he lackscapacity to make the decision at the timeit needs to be made.


of Attorney


Scenario

Shanti Sandhu is a 66-year-old divorcee who lives alonein a walk-up apartment. Her children were tragicallykilled in a road traffic accident six months ago.

Shanti used to be active in the community, taking partin local activities and volunteering at ResidentCommittee activities. Since the accident, she does notspeak to anyone.

The apartment block committee is organising a healthtalk and free health screening activity. The committeeis considering excluding Shanti as they feel she doesnot have capacity to contribute to organising theactivities.

The organising committee should not assume that, justbecause Shanti lives alone and does not talk with anyone,it means that she lacks mental capacity. A person ispresumed to have capacity unless it is proven otherwise.The organising committee should consider inviting Shanti.Whether she chooses to be involved is her choice.


of Attorney

The individual should not make a decision on behalf of a personsimply because that person has difficulty communicating.Instead, the individual should provide support, for example,by providing information in more accessible formats such aslarge font and drawings, and using different forms ofcommunication such as sign-language, Braille, etc.

Principle 2: Giving All Practicable Help

Caregivers, family members, donees,deputies and professionals who care foror treat a person who may have difficultyin making a particular decision shouldtake all practicable steps to help theperson to make his own decision.

They should not exert pressure or imposetheir views on the person they aresupporting when helping him to make adecision.

The type of support the person shouldreceive depends on the type of decisionhe has to make and the circumstances.


Scenario

Several police officers find a middle-aged man livingunderneath a bridge on the Pan Island Expressway. Heis very dirty and has a big cut on his leg, which looksinfected. They take him to the hospital.

The hospital staff asks for his personal details andrelatives they could contact. To help the man tocommunicate, these enquiries are made in severallanguages. The man remains silent and does not wantto cooperate with the doctor who wants to examinehis injury.

The doctor tells him that if the injury is not treated, hemay lose his leg and makes a sawing motion over hisleg in an attempt to explain the situation to him. Theman appears to pay more attention after that and startspointing at his mouth and ears while shaking his head.

A nurse realises that he may be a deaf mute, so shegives him a paper and pen, and calls in a person whoknows sign language. The man calms down and startscommunicating to the hospitalstaff in writing.

The man may not have been ableto communicate orally, but thatdoes not mean he cannot make adecision about his treatment. Themedical team should not concludethat he does not have the capacityto decide about treatment beforegiving him all the practicable helpto make and communicate hisdecision.

In emergency situations, forexample, serious injury froman accident, it may not bepracticable to take as manysteps to support a person tomake his own decisions. Allthat can be done may be tokeep the person informed ofwhat is going on and whyprocedures are being done.

However, there is a difference between a person making anunwise decision (which the person who decides may make)and his making a decision when he lacks the ability tounderstand, remember or use the information necessary tomake the decision.

If a person makes several decisions which are unusual bearingin mind his usual behaviour, or makes decisions which makesit easy for him to be exploited or harmed, then furtherinvestigation into that persons capacity should be conducted.

Principle 3: Unwise Decision

A person is free to make his owndecisions even if those decisions areunwise in the view of others. Thisrecognises the right of a person to makehis own choices if he has mental capacityto do so.

Just because a decision is unwise doesnot mean that the person has lost mentalcapacity.


of Attorney


Scenario

Ah Huat is 73 years old. He is a widower and lives alone.

Last week, a window installer named Paul visited AhHuat at his home. Paul convinces Ah Huat to changethe window in his bathroom because it is rusty. Thenext day, Paul returns and advises Ah Huat to changethe windows in his bedroom. Paul charges Ah Huat$500.

Ah Huats son, Ah Seng, is concerned about his father.Ah Huat is normally careful with his finances becausehe is retired.

Paul returns for a third time and Ah Huat agrees tochange the remaining windows in his flat for $1500.Ah Seng, who examined the windows earlier, noticedthat they are still in good condition and did not needto be changed. He believes that Paul has takenadvantage of his father and wonders whether Ah Huatis capable of making similar purchasing decisions.

Ah Huat explains that he prefers to get the windowsreplaced all at once because he gets a better bargain.He believes that all the windows will need to be replacedin one or two years time.

Ah Seng cannot just assume that because his father, AhHuat, is 73 years old and has made a decision that AhSeng thinks is unwise, he lacks mental capacity. If Ah Huatsusual pattern of behaviour continues to change andcauses concern, then Ah Seng should consider getting hismental capacity assessed by a doctor.

Scenario

Kevin Khoo and his wife, Rishima Rajah, have threechildren. Their eldest, Ron, who is 23 years old, has anintellectual disability and has been working at asheltered workshop operated by a charity.

The charity also has a programme which offerstemporary residence to persons like Ron to acquirebasic life skills for more independent living. With somesupport, they are also taught how to take publictransport. These life skills help them to be better suitedfor open employment.

A place in the residential programme becomes availableand the social workers at the charity recommend thatRon take up the offer.

Kevin and Rishima know that Ron will like to becomemore independent. However, they are worried that ifRon takes up the offer, they wont be able to look outfor him and he will spend less time with them.

If Ron has the mental capacity to make the decision onthe residential programme, then Kevin and Rishima shouldnot decide for him. If Ron lacks the capacity to make thisdecision, Kevin and Rishima must remember that theyshould be acting in Rons best interests and not their own.

Principle 4: Best Interests

Every act or decision made on behalf ofa person who lacks capacity must bemade in his best interests.

Whether a decision is in the personsbest interests will depend on thecircumstances of the case.


of Attorney


Principle 5: Less Restrictive

When acting or making a decision onbehalf of a person who lacks capacity,the action or decision taken should beone which is less restrictive on thatpersons right and freedom to act.

The less restrictive option is usuallyalso the option that is in the bestinterests of the person.

All actions taken or decisions made mustbe taken in the persons best interests.

Scenario

Ah Mei lives with her 80-year-old mother, MadamKwong Siew Moi, who has dementia.

When Ah Mei goes to work, she locks her mother in herroom to prevent her from injuring herself or wanderingoff. She leaves food and water in the room. MadamKwong wears adult diapers.

When Ah Mei returns home in the evening, she bathesand feeds her mother. Even though Ah Mei is acting

out of concern for the safety of her mother, and isa filial daughter, this form of care is not the

less restrictive option. She must make someother more suitable care arrangementsuch as placing MadamKwong in a dementiaday-care centre. If there is more than one

option available, then theoptions must be weighedup and the decision takenmust be determined byboth the best interestsand less restrictive optionprinciples.


of Attorney

PART E

SAMPLE CHECKLIST TO REGISTER AN LPA

After you have prepared the LPA, you or your donee(s) canmake an application to OPG to register the LPA. In doing so,the applicant(s) will need to carry out actions listed in thechecklist below:


Before submitting the application to the Office of thePublic Guardian, the applicant should:

(a) Find out the registration fee required (payment byNETS, Credit Card is preferred)

(b) Obtain the original identity card/document of thedonor (where the applicant is the donee(s))

(c) Make copies of the donee(s) and/or replacementdonee(s) identity card(s)/document(s)

(d) Ensure the application form and all the Parts in theLPA are properly completed

S/No Actions Completed?

Obtain/Download the form Application to Register anInstrument as a Lasting Power of Attorney from theOffice of the Public Guardian(http://www.publicguardian.gov.sg)

1

Prior to making the application to register, send outnotification(s) to the person(s) to be notified, if any. Thenotification form can be obtained from the Office of thePublic Guardian or their website(http://www.publicguardian.gov.sg)

2

Complete the application form3

4


of Attorney

GLOSSARY

Acts in connection with care or treatmentThese are tasks carried out by care-givers (paid or unpaid),healthcare staff and family members that involve personal care,healthcare or medical treatment for a person who lacks thecapacity to consent to those acts.

Best interestsDecision-makers have a duty to consider many factors thatfocus on what is best for the person lacking capacity beforemaking a decision on his behalf. Refer to chapter 6 of the Codeof Practice for more information.

Code of PracticeThe Code supports the Act and provides further explanationon how the Act should be applied in practice.

Committee of the person or committee of the estateThe Court appointed these Committees, under the MentalDisorders and Treatment Act (now repealed), to make certaindecisions on behalf of a person suffering from a mental disorder.Persons serving on existing Committees automatically becomedeputies as if they had been appointed by the Court under theMental Capacity Act, under the Mental Capacity Act, and theyhave the same powers and functions, as they were given ascommittee of the persons and/or the estates.

Decision-makerThe decision-maker is the individual or person who makesdecisions on behalf of persons who lack capacity. They includecaregivers, nurses, doctors, donees of a Lasting Power ofAttorney (LPA) and court-appointed deputies.

DeputyA deputy is appointed by the Court to make certain decisionson behalf of a person who lacks mental capacity when theperson has not made a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or hasno donee to decide on his behalf in respect of those decisions.A deputy can be an individual, a licensed trust company or anexempt person under the Trust Companies Act (Cap. 336), asprescribed by the Mental Capacity Regulations.


DoneeDonees are appointed by individuals to act and make decisionsabout their personal welfare and/or property & affairs matters,on their behalf, when they lack mental capacity.

DonorThe person who is making the LPA, appointing donee(s) to takecare of his matters in the event he loses mental capacity one day.

JointlyThe donees or deputies must act together and not alone.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)A legal document that allows a donor to voluntarily appointanother person, the donee, and gives him powers or authorityto take action or make decisions on behalf of the donor whenthe donor loses capacity to make decisions.

Mental capacityMental capacity is the ability of a person to make a specificdecision at a particular time.

Mental Capacity ActProvides safeguards to protect persons lacking capacity. TheAct gives the Public Guardian supervisory and investigativepowers and makes ill treatment of persons who lack capacityby their caregivers and decision-makers a criminal offence. TheAct also prohibits certain decisions from being made on behalfof the person who lacks capacity.

Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)The OPG has a wide range of responsibilities within theframework of the Mental Capacity Act. These include keepinga register of Lasting Powers of Attorney, supervising deputiesand investigating allegations of ill treatment.

Statutory principlesThere are 5 statutory principles that everyone must followwhen dealing with persons who lack or may lack capacity. Referto part D for more information.

Unwise decisionThis refers to one of the statutory principles. A person who hasmental capacity has the right to make a decision that is unwisein the view of others. Just because a decision is unwise doesnot mean that the person has lost mental capacity. Refer topart D for more information.

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC GUARDIANMinistry of Community Development, Youth and Sports510 Thomson Road, #16-01, SLF Building, Singapore 298135Tel: 1800 226 6222 Fax: (65) 6258 3512Email: [email protected] our website @ www.publicguardian.gov.sg

ISBN: 978-981-08-5164-4

lpa

Documents