SINGAPORE - The government is trying to encourage more Singaporeans to make an application for a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) by simplifying forms and waiving registration fees.

A LPA legally appoints another person to make decisions and act on the applicant’s behalf in the event he is mentally incapacitated.

Forms have been simplified, taking away legal and technical jargons, and the S$50 registration for applications have also been waived for the next two years, although applicants will still need to pay professional fees charged by LPA certificate issuers, such as accredited General Practitioners and lawyers, which will be at least S$50.

Registration fees still apply if an applicant needs to customise his LPA.

SingPost will also offer free postal service for the submission of forms over the next two years.

These new initiatives, which come after feedback about the LPA, will kick off from September this year.

Over 6,000 people have made LPA applications since it was started four years ago.

The LPA was introduced as part of the Mental Capacity Act, taking into account Singapore’s ageing population.

The aim is to get people to plan ahead, while they still can - to identify a trusted person they can rely on to settle their affairs, should they ever lose their state of mind.

This could be if dementia strikes, if a person has a stroke or if he suffers head trauma as a result of an accident.

Without an LPA, there is often a long and cumbersome court process involved, when decisions on personal welfare or assets have to be made, for a person who has lost his mental capacity. CHANNEL NEWSASIA