Putting home into family trust to avoid nursing home fees

Silverclouds7

I think a lot of younger people like to forget that we oldies never had the good things in life (holidays, new cars, latest technology etc.) Most of our money went on the mortgage, food and heating.
We furnished our homes with second hand stuff. We maybe, only had new clothes once or twice a year. We hardly ever drank (couldn't afford to.)
It was tough, so it hits hard when your home is sold off, to pay for care which you were always led to believe was covered by national insurance.
I do understand how hard it can be for younger people today. Maybe they should try understanding how it was for us too.

Doc_N

Silverclouds7 wrote: »

I think a lot of younger people like to forget that we oldies never had the good things in life (holidays, new cars, latest technology etc.) Most of our money went on the mortgage, food and heating.
We furnished our homes with second hand stuff. We maybe, only had new clothes once or twice a year. We hardly ever drank (couldn't afford to.)
It was tough, so it hits hard when your home is sold off, to pay for care which you were always led to believe was covered by national insurance.
I do understand how hard it can be for younger people today. Maybe they should try understanding how it was for us too.

I take your point entirely. Mortgage rates were substantially higher (if you could get one), nobody took gap years, eating out was rare and gadgets pretty much non-existent.

There never was any suggestion, though, that the state would fund stays in care homes via National Insurance contributions. Genuine healthcare was (and largely is still) free, but not care homes. The 1948 (Labour Party created) health and insurance changes which we all take for granted today were never intended to cover (NHS apart) those with substantial assets such as houses, though. They were a safety net for those with little to their name.

BusPass_2

I have not read through this thread in detail so forgive me if I am repeating something or stating something already covered.


We took solicitor's advice ( Scotland) and were told in no uncertain terms that we could not pass on our unencumbered property to family to avoid any potential future care cost.


'Deprivation of Assets' is the term I am sure he used. He didn't suggest trusts or any other scheme. He stated that local authority can theoretically go back as far as they like if they suspect deprivation of assets has taken place. Whether they do, or not, is another matter and may be a postcode lottery.


Our solicitor's whole attitude appeared to be' if you want to be involved in such activity you can find another solicitor'


If care happens, it looks like we'll just have to pay for it.

Mojisola

Silverclouds7 wrote: »

It was tough, so it hits hard when your home is sold off, to pay for care which you were always led to believe was covered by national insurance.

NI has never covered old people's living costs - people either stayed at home cared for by relatives or friends with visits from the District Nurse and GP or were put in a geriatric hospital ward which wasn't a nice way to spend your last months. People with bad dementia went into asylums.

Pollycat

Mojisola wrote: »

NI has never covered old people's living costs - people either stayed at home cared for by relatives or friends with visits from the District Nurse and GP or were put in a geriatric hospital ward which wasn't a nice way to spend your last months. People with bad dementia went into asylums.

This is what I've always believed.

TBagpuss

Silverclouds7 wrote: »

I think a lot of younger people like to forget that we oldies never had the good things in life (holidays, new cars, latest technology etc.) Most of our money went on the mortgage, food and heating.
We furnished our homes with second hand stuff. We maybe, only had new clothes once or twice a year. We hardly ever drank (couldn't afford to.)
It was tough, so it hits hard when your home is sold off, to pay for care which you were always led to believe was covered by national insurance.
I do understand how hard it can be for younger people today. Maybe they should try understanding how it was for us too.

That is true up to a point; some things are better now, some are worse. Those who are getting old now may not have as much material 'stuff' when they were young, but most of those who got to the point of owning their own home and thus facing having to pay care home fees did get those things later in life, in middle and old age, it isn't the case that they never had any good times.

Younger people who can get mortgages benefit from (currently) lower mortgage rates, but the houses are much more expensive in comparison with incomes, and there are increasing numbers of people who are looking at a future where they are unlike to be able to buy at all, while secure, long term tenancies are much harder to come by.

And of course, many of those in the younger generation are looking at the welfare system and wondering what, if anything, will be left by the time they reach the point where they need support.

many of those now needing care need it because advances in medical care mean they are surviving longer. When they were paying in, no on planned for this because people were not expected to live so long or need such care. My own grandmother had a stroke. She lived (in a nursing home) for nearly 3 years after that. Someone in the same situation 20 years earlier would probably have died of the stroke. (and yes, it was paid for from the sale of her house after she died)

not to mention, there are plenty of younger people today who set up with second hand furniture, have cheap holidays and don't eat out, because they can't afford it.

charlieismydarling

I really can't think of any other situation whereby if you move, due to your circumstances changing and needing alternative accommodation, you expect to keep your previous accommodation as well.

Talk about greedy. All this talk of councils grabbing homes is rubbish. It is a case of selling one home to pay for another home and the necessary support.

Mojisola

Silverclouds7 wrote: »

We furnished our homes with second hand stuff.

When I cleared out Mum and Dad's house, I rehomed several bits of furniture that they had bought second-hand when they married just after the war.

TBagpuss

Mojisola wrote: »

NI has never covered old people's living costs - people either stayed at home cared for by relatives or friends with visits from the District Nurse and GP or were put in a geriatric hospital ward which wasn't a nice way to spend your last months. People with bad dementia went into asylums.

And of course, a lot more people died. More people surivve cancer and that means more people livcing long enough to develop dementia and other age-related illnesses

zygurat789

The argument always used to be that those who lived in a low rent council house and went to the pub every night had no assets when they were old and infirm so the state had to pay for their care home. Whereas thos who scrimped and saved to buy their own home have to pay for the very same care.
Now, instead of the !!!!less being at fault for not saving it is the government for not treating everybody with the same largess.
If the younger generation want the house then they should look after tjheir parents.