£75,000 care home cap - retrospective help!?

vigman

Hi

I welcome the Chancellor's announcement of a cap on care home fees at £75K, however this is not for two years, I believe.

At this moment, we are in the process of selling my F_I_L's house to start paying c £800 per week for fees.

Is it too early, or is there any discussion on retrospective help for those like us who will have passed the £75 cap by the time it comes in to force?

Any thoughts welcomed

Vigman

Horseunderwater

Should not think it will be retrospective at all. Will the sale of his home bring in enough money to cover the £800/week fees? Have you looked into local authority homes at all. Personally it is not in reality a good thing as it will leave many older people who need the help in a far worse position from the little that I have read. Age concern may be able to point you in the right direction.

SEE

vigman wrote: »

Hi

I welcome the Chancellor's announcement of a cap on care home fees at £75K, however this is not for two years, I believe.

At this moment, we are in the process of selling my F_I_L's house to start paying c £800 per week for fees.

Is it too early, or is there any discussion on retrospective help for those like us who will have passed the £75 cap by the time it comes in to force?

Any thoughts welcomed

Vigman

Forgive, but I'm so annoyed that the elderly are not challenging these fees in court. £800 a week should be justified in court. What are her living costs at home? People need to wake up and view the disparity between what is being spent and charged on the elderly in nursing homes. Weekly meals are usually sourced and budgeted at around £50 per head and less, so what is the other £750 being spent on?

NAR

Sorry about your plight OP, but when a date is fixed there are always going to be winners and losers. At least some people might be able to plan ahead (nearer the date) to ensure their help package doesn't start until after the start date of the scheme.

vigman

NAR wrote: »

Sorry about your plight OP, but when a date is fixed there are always going to be winners and losers. At least some people might be able to plan ahead (nearer the date) to ensure their help package doesn't start until after the start date of the scheme.

Yes, I suppose I knew the answer before posting, but it is pretty galling!!

Having had to pay for private care at home for the last 10 years for elderly family members, it is fairly easy to get to the 800gbp per week unfortunately. I have to clarify that this is for 24 hour nursing care for someone with dementia and inability to walk at all.

If you think about it, it is about the same as a hotel on full board for a week with day and night nursing care on top.

Luckily, we have found a very good home, and the food is home made on site and excellent quantity/quality and each patient, like my F_I_L is fed throughout the whole meal.

Don't get me wrong, it makes me mad that having worked hard and paid taxes all his life he will not be able to leave his family what he wanted to. Of course, when he does die, he will have the pleasure of paying 40% of everything over 325k to the tax man again! Although he started off as a blacksmith's apprentice, he invested in property in the 50s and 60s, so the tax man will have a real field day! :mad:

Vigman

mysterywoman10

It's all very difficult the care charges.

The nursing care element should not be paid for, so you need to check that. My father had similar problems to what you describe and he was CHC funded so no charges.

I agree with SEE about the costs, it wouldn't be so bad if you got really good quality care for the £800 per week but the reality is, its very hard to find a home that provides it.

Staff are on minimum wages, food is slop in many cases a lot less than £50 you can feed 4 well for that! My father was in a Southern Cross home for a short time (around the time of the crisis) and it was appalling, it had a good rating too, so you can't go by that either. Finally we did manage to get him into a nice one in a rural village right by my brother.

Glad you have found a nice one though that's good.

mysterywoman10

PS I put some links on another thread to more information about CHC it can be very difficult to get although IMO many people should be getting it.... the NHS is still free!

The Alzheimer's society offer a call back service from a support group to help with accessing CHC and they are very good. They will then link up with you via email.

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=399

monkeyspanner

I think the new proposals have been brought forward to Aprril 2016 from 2017.

SEE

mysterywoman10 wrote: »

It's all very difficult the care charges.

The nursing care element should not be paid for, so you need to check that. My father had similar problems to what you describe and he was CHC funded so no charges.

I agree with SEE about the costs, it wouldn't be so bad if you got really good quality care for the £800 per week but the reality is, its very hard to find a home that provides it.

Staff are on minimum wages, food is slop in many cases a lot less than £50 you can feed 4 well for that! My father was in a Southern Cross home for a short time (around the time of the crisis) and it was appalling, it had a good rating too, so you can't go by that either. Finally we did manage to get him into a nice one in a rural village right by my brother.

Glad you have found a nice one though that's good.

I feel so angry at the charges they bandy about. You can holiday on full board in a warm climate for £500 a week and get you laundry done too! People really should start protesting about these private care providers. The pensioners have the power, they are the customers, demand your rights! I would gladly nurse a pensioner for £800 a week and give them 5 star treatment with daily outings, luxury meals, fresh linen and a beautiful garden. Perhaps some of us more able bodied people should be offering ourselves to this cause instead of letting them get ripped off if we have spare rooms at home.

vigman

SEE wrote: »

SNIP I would gladly nurse a pensioner for £800 a week and give them 5 star treatment with daily outings, luxury meals, fresh linen and a beautiful garden. Perhaps some of us more able bodied people should be offering ourselves to this cause instead of letting them get ripped off if we have spare rooms at home.

My wife and I have looked after both sets of parents in their own homes for the last 10 years. When dementia and incontinence sets in it really takes a toll on your own health and professional nursing care is needed. It becomes impossible to look after these patients in their own homes when they start to need 24 care every day of the year.

I admire the sentiment, but in reality things can become very difficult and unpleasant, and much more than a spare room at home is needed.

As for continuing national health care, we attended all the meetings, filled in all the forms BUT did not get it. Apparently dementia and physical incapability is not enough to meet the 12 points assessed to get CHC!!

Vigman

seven-day-weekend

SEE wrote: »

Forgive, but I'm so annoyed that the elderly are not challenging these fees in court. £800 a week should be justified in court. What are her living costs at home? People need to wake up and view the disparity between what is being spent and charged on the elderly in nursing homes. Weekly meals are usually sourced and budgeted at around £50 per head and less, so what is the other £750 being spent on?

Er...Nurses? Care assistants? Cleaners? Cooks? Chambermaids? Bursar?