Avoiding Care Home Costs

orchardjim

My 86 year old mother is growing increasingly worried about the prospects of going into care and having her house sold to pay for care home costs. Several years ago, following the death of my father and her husband, she redrafted her will leaving the house to be shared between her 4 children. As she grows increasingly frail she is now becoming anxious that a life of hard work will leave nothing behind for her children. I understand that simply transferring the property to them will fall foul of the 'Care in the Coommunity Act' and could result in the property being used to fund care anyway. Are there any other options worth considering?

neneromanova

Could she not move in with one of you? That way the house stays safe and there are no costs for care.

onlyroz

Who does your mother expect to pay for the care costs, if she is unwilling to pay the costs herself?

peachyprice

I have to echo onlyroz's question, and why does she think she has the right to avoid paying for her care.

So she feels that her/her husband worked hard all their lives not for themselves, but to provide you with an inheritance?

Sorry, that is wrong on so many levels. She has the means to be able to afford care for herself, she should use those means, not avoid using them, but she wants let the tax payer pick up the bill, just so you and your siblings can get your inheritance.

pinkclouds

orchardjim wrote: »

My 86 year old mother is growing increasingly worried about the prospects of going into care and having her house sold to pay for care home costs. Several years ago, following the death of my father and her husband, she redrafted her will leaving the house to be shared between her 4 children.

Maybe she is just worried about needing nursing care. She has 4 kids and not one of them is able and/or willing to look after her so she will need to rely on (paid) strangers. It's not nice but it is a problem shared by many elderly folk due to family living too far away or complex health issues due to increased life expectancy and its age-related problems.

She had to redraft her will because your dad died - probably because there was no "whom so failing" clause to cover the death of that particular beneficiary. I don't see that has anything to do with her care needs.

Without meaning to sound harsh, perhaps what she really needs is reassurance that a "life of hard work" has resulted in 4 beautiful, loving children who are there for her and will deeply miss her when she's gone. To me, going into a care home is like going into a hospital and, even as a "young" person, I would totally dread the prospect and much rather be at home with my family. I expect she probably feels scared. I would.

Person_one

I agree with others that she needs to adjust her thinking. She needs to stop seeing her hard earned money as belonging to her children and start seeing it as what will look after her in her hour of need! She earned it so surely she should be the one benefitting it from it not you and her siblings.

danielle1977

Why should someone who has saved all their lives etc paid for their house, put away for their children etc be expected to pay when someone who has been on benefits etc doesn't have to?

Totally with you on this one orchard jim. My grandma had homehelps then when she became even less able she moved in with my mum and dad (fortunately they have a downstairs bedroom and bathroom), they still get homehelps which they don't have to pay for. My dad brought his parents (and my mums parents) their houses as an investment as he put it in his parents name it would then get taken to pay for care.

My partners grandma is in a care home-he husband still lives in house-it comes with an excellent report from qualitrly care commision or whatever it is called but she is always dirty, all residents families are going through a huge process with local council to get it taken over-make sure you check out homes really well-get in touch with current residents families.

Think I should sell my house, go on a nice long holiday come back and rely on benefits! Seriously people on this board have a go at families with 4 kids moaning that tax credits is being slow, but also have a go at someone trying to make life better for their children-unreal!

onlyroz

danielle1977 wrote: »

Why should someone who has saved all their lives etc paid for their house, put away for their children etc be expected to pay when someone who has been on benefits etc doesn't have to?

I ask again, who else should be paying then, if not the recipient of the care? Should *I* be paying for your care when you get old?

pixie76

She could put the house in you or one your siblings names. I am not 100% sure about this bit you may need to look into it but it has to be a certain period of time before you go into a home, other words it wouldn't work if you did it at the last minute.I think once I get to a certain age I would consider putting the house in my boys name just in case in a few years down the line I had to go into care. I understand how your mother feels my grandma was in similar situation years ago, she had worked hard all her life and only got to keep the first 16k of the house profits( that amount has probably gone up since then), they took the rest even though she was only in a care home for a couple of years before she passed away.She more than paid for her care. It is annoying that the people that have worked hard and saved are penalised , meanwhile people in jail if they have assets , property or savings do not have to dip into them to pay for their costs and don't get my started on benefit scroungers! Look into things and I hope you find a way...

Morgan_Ree

danielle1977 wrote: »

Why should someone who has saved all their lives etc paid for their house, put away for their children etc be expected to pay when someone who has been on benefits etc doesn't have to?

The quality of care for those who receive funding compared to those who pay for it themselves varies hugely

i know which I'd prefer.......

peachyprice

danielle1977 wrote: »

Think I should sell my house, go on a nice long holiday come back and rely on benefits! Seriously people on this board have a go at families with 4 kids moaning that tax credits is being slow, but also have a go at someone trying to make life better for their children-unreal!

They're not children, they're adults. They should be standing on their own two feet, not waiting for mummy to die so they can scoop up a hefty inheritance.

My parents have just moved back to the UK and are renting until they find somewhere to buy, but you know, I'd rather they stayed renting for the rest of their days and have a bloody good time on the large sum of money they have in the bank, not put it all into a house that will eventually go to me and my brother.

They've worked hard form themselves, not us.