Advice needed - elderly friend needs to go into care

cte1111

Mojisola wrote: »

What's the present situation - she is in care and has a house that has to be sold? The council should be paying her care if she has less than £23,250 in cash and putting a charge on the house. When the house is sold, they will recoup what they have paid out.

Have a read through here -
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS10_Paying_for_permanent_residential_care_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

She owns a property, it is up for sale, her savings were about £20,000, now around £3,000 as the council were absolutely insistent that they would not pay unless her cash went below £3,000. My interpretation of the guidelines from Age UK are the same as yours, but they are adamant.

Just read through another Age UK fact sheet, looks like they are correct to take the value of her home into her capital valuation:
For permanent care, any interest in your former home
will generally be taken into account as capital.
Section 3:
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/documents/en-gb/factsheets/fs38_treatment_of_property_in_the_means_test_for_permanent_care_home_provision_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

So they are saying that her capital is over the limits, as her home is valued at over £100,000. The fact that it's not liquid is irrelevant.

Sorry for hijacking thread.

Mojisola

cte1111 wrote: »

She owns a property, it is up for sale, her savings were about £20,000, now around £3,000 as the council were absolutely insistent that they would not pay unless her cash went below £3,000. My interpretation of the guidelines from Age UK are the same as yours, but they are adamant.

Just read through another Age UK fact sheet, looks like they are correct to take the value of her home into her capital valuation:
For permanent care, any interest in your former home
will generally be taken into account as capital.
Section 3:
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/documents/en-gb/factsheets/fs38_treatment_of_property_in_the_means_test_for_permanent_care_home_provision_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

So they are saying that her capital is over the limits, as her home is valued at over £100,000. The fact that it's not liquid is irrelevant.

Sorry for hijacking thread.

It sounds as if different LA are interpreting the law differently.

My Dad's house is up for sale so, at the moment, that capital is unavailable. He has been assessed on what capital he has and, since it's under £23,250 he is being paid for by the council. They are funding - up to their limit - for 12 weeks although they put his pension towards that.

At the end of 12 weeks they will continue to fund him but will put a charge on the property so that they will be repaid when it sells.

I would ask for a copy of the law that they are using to set the £3000 limit.

Spirit_2

When my mum lived in a retirement complex one of the reasons she moved out was the increasing dependancy of her neighbours who stubbornly refused to have help but relied on her and others to 'help them as neighbours'.

At one point my mum was having assistance getting dressed and ready for bed along with meals on wheels, a cleaner/daily help whilst two of her neighbours were ringing her on a daily basis and asking her to make them flasks of tea and soup, or to have the papers/tins of soup/milk brought in with her shopping!

They became more unsanitary and Mum did not want see her friends struggle but did not want (nor was she able for) this burden and as she saw it their scrooge like behaviour at the cost of their dignity.

Her friends were all there mentally but had retreated to a singleminded selfishness .When one was 'moaning' about the slowness in response of another willing neighbour, mum assumed they must be complaining about her too. She moved when she was 80.

jackyann

Mojisola wrote: »

It wouldn't have made any difference if you were married to him or if he was an owner of the house - if a spouse or civil partner is to stay in the family home, it has to be disregarded from the financial assessment.

I'm not certain what happens if a couple aren't married and the house is owned by the person going into care.

Tends to depend on the state of health / financial situation of the the partner; and indeed different authorities interpret guidance differently. It will often depend on what they might have to do should they insist on evicting the other person (partner / child / dependent etc.)

Mojisola

jackyann wrote: »

Tends to depend on the state of health / financial situation of the the partner; and indeed different authorities interpret guidance differently. It will often depend on what they might have to do should they insist on evicting the other person (partner / child / dependent etc.)

I disagree - if the house is occupied by a spouse or someone from the other categories the value of the house has to be disregarded.