Avoiding nursing home costs

seashore22

If there comes a time when I need to go into a care home, then I am quite happy for my home to be sold to pay for it. I wouldn't want to rely on the state to decide which level of care they are prepared to fund.

I would also hope that my children would care more about my comfort than a possible inheritance. If not, then they aren't the people I thought they were.

This is just my personal view and I don't expect everyone to share it.

withabix

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Because it's based on need and ability to pay, like housing and healthcare are for everyone else. UK citizens are expected to pay for their own rent or mortgage, food and bills, unless they cannot afford to do so in which case the taxpayer assists. It's standard practice not to get means tested benefits if you own a house you are not living in, that is an asset you could liquidise.

Not every older person has children, or only family that work full time or who don't have a spare room or who are in another country. The more the state spends on care, benefits and health the higher our taxers are, that hits those on a low income hardest. It's not right for, say, London teenagers on minimum wage to fund a care home place for someone who has a three bedroom house sat empty.

In that case, people who can't pay should be in low-cost state-run institutions, not £600/week (or more) care homes.

ManicRuss

BobQ wrote: »

<snip>

Thanks for that. They bought the house in 1986 and as far as I know the house is in both names. I'm assuming it will say in the deeds? (I can go and check later). The house is registered with the Land Registry. The 'ideal' situation is when she passes on it will be without a care home being required and it would be bequeathed straight to myself.

For clarification, I am not getting in to a discussion of "if you want care then pay for it". Whereas that may well be a valid discussion, it is not the topic at hand - it is my parents' wish that the house stays within the family and what I'm doing is seeing what is possible to ensure this happens.

mothershipton

seashore22 wrote: »

If there comes a time when I need to go into a care home, then I am quite happy for my home to be sold to pay for it. I wouldn't want to rely on the state to decide which level of care they are prepared to fund.

I would also hope that my children would care more about my comfort than a possible inheritance. If not, then they aren't the people I thought they were.

This is just my personal view and I don't expect everyone to share it.

I share it, i dont understand why people think they are entitled to inherit their parents house and the taxpayer should pay for parents care. I hate that a whole industry seems to have popped up to advise people. If you are living in the house, it wouldnt have to be sold, i think the care home would just have a claim on it.

Fire_Fox

withabix wrote: »

In that case, people who can't pay should be in low-cost state-run institutions, not £600/week (or more) care homes.

Decent quality round the clock care and associated administration costs money, if care homes were all state run they would not necessarily be cheaper, look how much a hospital stay costs even without needing very intensive treatment. Many care homes should have more higher paid/ higher qualified staff on duty anyway.

ILW

withabix wrote: »

In that case, people who can't pay should be in low-cost state-run institutions, not £600/week (or more) care homes.

£600 a week is a very cheap care home, it costs the state around that amount.

ILW

ManicRuss wrote: »

Thanks for that. They bought the house in 1986 and as far as I know the house is in both names. I'm assuming it will say in the deeds? (I can go and check later). The house is registered with the Land Registry. The 'ideal' situation is when she passes on it will be without a care home being required and it would be bequeathed straight to myself.

For clarification, I am not getting in to a discussion of "if you want care then pay for it". Whereas that may well be a valid discussion, it is not the topic at hand - it is my parents' wish that the house stays within the family and what I'm doing is seeing what is possible to ensure this happens.

Would you be putting in the same amount of effort if they said they wanted everything to go to charity?

ManicRuss

ILW wrote: »

Would you be putting in the same amount of effort if they said they wanted everything to go to charity?

Would I post on an internet forum to ask if anyone knew the procedure and situation? Yes, no reason not to.

laurel7172

One of the many things that bothers me about the proposed £35k cap is...what happens when the £35k is spent?

If one of my parents needed care, and were in the £1600/week nursing home, would the state continue to fund them there after the £35k was spent? Surely it can't be expected that somebody should have £1600/week paid, when places are available at £600? Is it right that somebody who can afford their own care should be funded at £1000/week more than somebody who can't?

If not, is the proposal that I should then do an asset grab, shunt my frail and possibly confused parent into an inferior care setting, and ride off into the sunset gloating about my protected inheritance?

How, exactly, is it supposed to work?

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