Who is an unpaid carer
Helping the person you care for with decision-making
As a carer, you may need to make decisions on behalf of someone who cannot manage without your help. You should respect their choices wherever possible and seek support if their mental capacity is in doubt. This could be because they do not understand, retain, have the ability to make sense of or communicate their decisions (‘lack mental capacity’).
If they can make their own decisions
If the person you're looking after can still make their own decisions but occasionally needs your assistance with making decisions, they can get a legal document called a 'power of attorney’.
You can apply for a lasting power of attorney if you want to make decisions for them in the long-term. This document legally allows you to make decisions on their behalf.
If they cannot make their own decisions
If they cannot make their own decisions now or in the future (lack ‘mental capacity’), you can also apply to the court for one-off or ongoing decisions. This means becoming a ‘property and financial affairs deputy’ or a ‘personal welfare deputy’ through the Court of Protection.