Acting for loved one to be simplified

Acting for loved one to be simplified

SINGAPORE is going to make it less costly and less tedious for family members of a person with, say, dementia to get the legal right to make financial and other decisions for the individual.

Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing made this pledge in Parliament yesterday, saying his ministry will work with the courts to simplify the process for people to become deputies, who can act on behalf of the mentally incapacitated.

He said: "Today, families need to go to a court to get an order, and it can be a laborious and expensive process."

The cost can be as much as $5,000 as this would involve engaging doctors and lawyers.

A court application to appoint a deputy is needed when those who have lost their mental faculties did not grant Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) to someone earlier. Deputies have the legal power to make financial decisions, such as the selling of properties or operating of bank accounts, and other care arrangements for a mentally incapacitated person.

This move follows an earlier one last year to make applying for an LPA simpler and cheaper.

Mr Chan announced this planned effort when he told the House that the Mental Capacity Act will be amended to streamline and improve operations of the Office of the Public Guardian, which administers the Act and maintains a register of LPAs.

The amendment is due to take place by the end of this year, when a new law, the Vulnerable Adults Act, will be introduced to protect people abused by family members and adults who cannot protect themselves from harm, owing to mental or physical incapacity or disability.

It will arm social service workers with powers to enter a suspected victim's home to assess the situation and remove him to safety, if necessary. Now, they have no powers to intervene.

Mr Chan said these changes are part of a strategy to prepare for an ageing population. "The rate of elderly (people) being abused has been stable over the last few years, but because the number of elderly among us is growing, we must eventually expect that there will be more such cases in time to come," he said.

By 2030, Singapore will have about 900,000 seniors. A recent Institute of Mental Health study found 10 per cent of those aged 60 and older have dementia.

Ms Grace Lin, centre director of Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, said the changes are crucial. "With an ageing population and shrinking family sizes, such support is important for us in making informed end-of-life decisions to get the care we need."

The Straits Times / Top of The News      Published on Sat, 14 Mar 2015

By Janice Tai            jantai@sph.com.sg