Winter fuel allowance decreased

SandC

Well I will repeat my earlier post in that we feel very fortunate that we get a part payment for my dad who is in a private nursing home. Rather than feel hard done by we feel very grateful indeed.

I am quite bemused that anyone else would feel any different to us.

alared

SandC wrote: »

Well I will repeat my earlier post in that we feel very fortunate that we get a part payment for my dad who is in a private nursing home. Rather than feel hard done by we feel very grateful indeed.
quote]

Your father is only getting what he`s fully entitled to.
I would imagine he has worked and paid his taxes and his stamps,unlike many others who have not but still expect all the benefits that are going.

No system is 100% perfect but ours seems geared to the idle and "dodgers".

SandC

Yes, that's true. Plus those of us who can pay for nursing care are freeing up places for those who can't in NHS homes.

I wonder what the OP thinks about those who are in NHS run homes as they will also still receive the allowance yet have their care fees paid for?

Oldernotwiser

alared wrote: »

No system is 100% perfect but ours seems geared to the idle and "dodgers".

Also geared to the children of care home residents who try to hang on to their "inheritance" by getting the state to pay for their parent's care!

alared

A quote from John Major:
"We Conservatives have always passed our values from generation to generation. I believe that personal prosperity should follow the same course. I want to see wealth cascading down the generations. We do not see each generation starting out anew, with the past cut off and the future ignored.
So, in the next Parliament, I believe that we must go much further in encouraging every family to save and to own. To extend every family's ability to pass on something to their children, to build up something of their own - for their own.
Labour have their eyes on the money stored in the homes in which millions of people now live - and in the businesses they have created. But I believe that what people have worked to build up in life, the State should never destroy."
http://www.johnmajor.co.uk/speechconf1991b.html

Why should you be forced to sell your house, which you have worked hard and paid for,to pay for a care home.
They don`t have to in Scotland!

seven-day-weekend

alared wrote: »

A quote from John Major:
"We Conservatives have always passed our values from generation to generation. I believe that personal prosperity should follow the same course. I want to see wealth cascading down the generations. We do not see each generation starting out anew, with the past cut off and the future ignored.
So, in the next Parliament, I believe that we must go much further in encouraging every family to save and to own. To extend every family's ability to pass on something to their children, to build up something of their own - for their own.
Labour have their eyes on the money stored in the homes in which millions of people now live - and in the businesses they have created. But I believe that what people have worked to build up in life, the State should never destroy."
http://www.johnmajor.co.uk/speechconf1991b.html

Why should you be forced to sell your house, which you have worked hard and paid for,to pay for a care home.
They don`t have to in Scotland!

Many people put forward the argument that what you are paying for in the care home is Board and Lodging. (Because if it is solely nursing care you don't have to pay, allegedly). Therefore, you don't NEED the house you bought to live in - you won't live in it again, or have to pay any bills to live in it - and it's value might have be released to pay for your Board and Lodging somewhere else.

I see the logic in this but feel the same as many others, that it feels like asset-stripping when the person is at their most vulnerable.

However, I suppose the State can not afford to keep everybody and yet again it is the prudent and thrifty person who will have to cough up.

Oldernotwiser

alared wrote: »

Why should you be forced to sell your house, which you have worked hard and paid for,to pay for a care home.

If you're going to be in a care home permanently (the only situation where this would arise), why should you care what happens to your house? It's only greedy relatives who worry about this, wanting the state to support their parents whilst they get to keep the money!

seven-day-weekend

To be fair, ONW, the relatives don't have to be 'greedy', sometimes it means a lot to the person going into care that their children have their 'inheritance' and they feel that that is what they worked for all their life and are upset when the house has to be sold to pay for care.

I do agree that the State should not have to fund an inheritance, but also understand how people feel - feel like it a bit myself, but am resigned!

bestpud

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

To be fair, ONW, the relatives don't have to be 'greedy', sometimes it means a lot to the person going into care that their children have their 'inheritance' and they feel that that is what they worked for all their life and are upset when the house has to be sold to pay for care.

I do agree that the State should not have to fund an inheritance, but also understand how people feel - feel like it a bit myself, but am resigned!

It isn't the childrens' money though, it is the parents!

And when they were saving, or buying their house, I am sure they meant it for themselves too - see them into old age?

After all, if it were solely for the children, they'd have handed it over years ago.

That said, I can see where you are coming from - it must be frustrating.

I suppose you do have a bit more choice where the parent goes though, as some of the state funded homes/rooms are poor to say the least. If it were my parent, I'd happily lose the lot to know they were being well cared for.

seven-day-weekend

bestpud wrote: »

It isn't the childrens' money though, it is the parents!

And when they were saving, or buying their house, I am sure they meant it for themselves too - see them into old age?

After all, if it were solely for the children, they'd have handed it over years ago.

That said, I can see where you are coming from - it must be frustrating.

I suppose you do have a bit more choice where the parent goes though, as some of the state funded homes/rooms are poor to say the least. If it were my parent, I'd happily lose the lot to know they were being well cared for.

Agree with all you've said bestpud - however I'm not bothered about my 'inheritance' - our parents are all dead now. It is US as the parents I was thinking about and we will do all we legally can to protect our house so that our son can have it.

Yes, it is our money and we will spend the money to have a good quality of life - but the house we want him to have - especially as he already lives in it - it is his home!

We'll probably make it tenants-in-common with him in the not-too-distant future.

Our Spanish house, we couldn't care less what happens to it.