Help for 89 year old

purpledaffodil

My lovely Dad is 89 and becoming worried about money. He has to draw on his savings each month to pay rent etc and buy food. He has no benefits other than his pension and a small ocupational pemsion. He does not want to ask the local authority for help as he fears they will lean on him to move. He is happy in his home and would like to die there. Who can we ask for advice? I tried Age Cocern website but it was more about Inheritance Tax etc

Savvy_Sue

Is he entitled to pension credit - look at the entitled to website for details. He might also be entitled to Housing Benefit.

Is he a council tenant, and in a house which is larger than he needs? The council might offer incentives to move, but can't lean on him.

Does he need help coping with cleaning, shopping, cooking etc? Asking Social Services for an assessment of his needs could be helpful - for example my parents have just had grab rails fitted - but it remains his choice whether to accept the help available or not.

purpledaffodil

Thank you for that useful advice. I tried the entitled to website, but as he has some savings it said he was not entitled to any help. Trouble is he is frightened about using up all his savings and then being unable to replace a household appliance if needed.

monkeyspanner

If your Dad needs assistance to perform daily living tasks he may be entitled to Attendance Allowance which is awarded at one of two weekly payment levels (£44.85 or £67) and is not means tested. If this may be appropriate here is the link:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DG_10012425

Don't be put off by the disabled people description it is also available for elderly infirm dependant on their difficulty.

Mojisola

purpledaffodil wrote: »

My lovely Dad is 89 and becoming worried about money. He has to draw on his savings each month to pay rent etc and buy food. He has no benefits other than his pension and a small ocupational pemsion. He does not want to ask the local authority for help as he fears they will lean on him to move. He is happy in his home and would like to die there. Who can we ask for advice? I tried Age Cocern website but it was more about Inheritance Tax etc

I think you'll find the LA will do all they can to keep him in his own home - that's been our experience with my parents.

We have had very good service from the people at the Pensions Service office. They make sure that you get every benefit you are entitled to by talking through your situation and filling in all the forms for you.

RAS

i found the local branch of help the aged very helpful, in providing both the information and the buzz words that triggered support.

Have you made sure that dad is claiming the full older person's tax allowance he is entitled to?

Is his money in ISAs, or is he paying tax on his savings?

it may also be worth going through his budget and checking that he is not being ripped off for large DDs for utilities when he is not using that much. read the meters and check the bills

Replace all lamps in frequently used room with energy saving lamps - saves about £10 per year each.

If he has old whitegoods, check their ratings. A recent TV programme had a guy whose old fridge cost £30 per month to run. He bought a new AA rated one for £120.

seven-day-weekend

He won't have to spend all his savings, he can keep up to £6k and claim FULL means-tested Benefits such as Housing and Council Tax Benefit (providing his income is not too high) .

All the way up to £16000 he can still get some help.

If he has more than £16k he won't be entitled to means-tested benefits.