incapacity

“In order to prevent this, an unmarried couple needs to sign Power of Attorney documents, a Patient Advocate, and a will, at minimum, to establish that their partner should be the one to act on their behalf in the event of their incapacity or death, and that the partner should inherit their property,” said Fresard.

A separate report from the OBR this month showed that more than 1 in 13 of the British working-age population will be in receipt of incapacity benefits, another all-time high, reversing a steady decline in the early 2000s.

He said returning both the disability and incapacity caseload to pre-pandemic levels would save £12bn, adding: "That would equate to almost 2p off the basic rate of income tax."

She said a wider roll out would form part of her drive to shrink the UK's annual disability and incapacity benefits bill.

My mother was diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and although we had good times together in the years afterwards, many laughs and much joyfulness in the moment, the progressive incapacity and disconnection from herself were painful to her beyond words.