Avoiding Care Home Costs

blabberwort

I find it really sad that non private care homes have such a bad name. In my opinion it's really not about getting the best place you can afford when looking for a care home but you should be looking at the staff in the homes. Theres loads of private care homes staffed by ignorant, lazy and uncaring people and again there are many private care homes staffed by caring competent people. The exact same thing can be said and is true of non private care homes.

To put a price on furnishings and luxury does not mean your life will be any better especially if you happen to end up in a luxurious care home that employ naff staff. Ultimately I would prefer a care home that is staffed by caring competent people who actually care about my needs rather than having a luxury 3 course meal and staff who couldnt care less.

Morgan_Ree

Unfortunatly the training for staff availabe at these funded type homes as well as home carers is usually well below that of the privately run places

A 2 day course including manual handling is hardly sufficent.
Even doing nursing i wasn't allowed let loose with a hoist for atleast 3 months!!

Even now a year on i still have to be with a more experienced memeber of staff when doing things like personal care!

peachyprice

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. 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?

katsclaws wrote: »

Quite a high percentage of people in care homes have dementia which can be really hard to manage. Many husbands and wives (& sons/daughters) have struggled for years to look after someone with dementia and putting their loved one in a home is one of the hardest decisions to make. The OP doesn't say his mother has dementia but saying that one of the four children could look after their mother is too simplistic without knowing the facts.

Simplistic maybe, but that doesn't sound like a person with dementia to me, OP has clearly stated that his mother is worried about losing her home to pay for care she might need in the future leaving nothing for her children. He/she hasn't hinted in the slightest that his mother dementia, so it's pretty safe to assume she hasn't.

katsclaws

Yes peachyprice, I agree. I think I was responding more to posters who said that going into a care home was voluntary.
There are ways of avoiding care home costs such as trusts and deeds of variation.

katsclaws

seven-day-weekend

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?

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!

Because people who have lived off Benefits all their lives and do not have a house to sell do not HAVE the means to pay....otherwise I'm sure they would be asked to.

lynzpower

blabberwort wrote: »

I find it really sad that non private care homes have such a bad name. In my opinion it's really not about getting the best place you can afford when looking for a care home but you should be looking at the staff in the homes. Theres loads of private care homes staffed by ignorant, lazy and uncaring people and again there are many private care homes staffed by caring competent people. The exact same thing can be said and is true of non private care homes.

To put a price on furnishings and luxury does not mean your life will be any better especially if you happen to end up in a luxurious care home that employ naff staff. Ultimately I would prefer a care home that is staffed by caring competent people who actually care about my needs rather than having a luxury 3 course meal and staff who couldnt care less.

No but it gives you choices: If you dont like that home, or you dont find the staff up to it, you can afford and have the choice to move.

kegg_2

sell the mums house and sell your house and all move in together.

That way your mum gets looked after and once she is gone you get to inherit
your mums share of the house.

Bubby

onlyroz wrote: »

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?

And what about those who don't bother to work and save for their care homes who pays for them?:mad:

Bubby

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Because people who have lived off Benefits all their lives and do not have a house to sell do not HAVE the means to pay....otherwise I'm sure they would be asked to.

But what about those people on benefits who get the equivilant of a full time salary but don't save?

Fang_3

Bubby wrote: »

But what about those people on benefits who get the equivilant of a full time salary but don't save?

They don't get the luxury or security of choice. They will most likely end up in the worst care homes and spend their final days wishing that they had saved. I know which I'd rather.