Surrendering assets to save Care Home fees

pmlindyloo

Mojisola wrote: »

Some older people have spent years scrimping and saving, planning to leave something to their children and hate the idea of spending it on themselves.

If parents are thinking along those lines, I would do a few visits to local care homes so that they can see the difference between the council funded ones and the others. Our council has a limit of under £400 a week for residential care. It's almost impossible to provide anything more than basic care for that.

For those who have no choice about being funded by the local authority if they need to be moved to a care home I do think it is important not to make such a generalised statement and to inform people that if they are funded by their council they do have a choice.

In my area, (SE England) I do not know of any council run homes.

If you need local authority funding then it is true that they have an amount that they will quote as regards the care home fees.

However, if you can prove that the care home you choose is the only one that meets your needs then the LA can ask the family for a 'top up' fee (or the family might find a charity that will assist) or the LA might fund it themselves.

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and-care/care-homes/choice-of-accommodation/

You do not have to use council run care homes (if they exist in your area). You do have a choice.

My Mum has been in both a residential care home (with a top up fee from SAFFA (hope that's the right charity - Forces charity) and then when that was withdrawn the LA paid the extra.

We chose the home with Mum and it was excellent. It was also in a different local authority from where she lived so she could move nearer her family.

She is now in a nursing home funded by the LA and NHS (for the nursing element). It is a BUPA one and, again, is excellent.

We spent many weeks looking for a suitable home (both times) and some of them are truly awful.

The good ones do exist and you need to spend considerable time and effort to find the appropriate one for your loved on.

This is intended as no disrespect to anyone who has posted on here and I know people have strong views about the deprivation of capital issue.

But there are people who have simply never acquired any money/capital through no particular fault of their own and it would be sad if they thought they would be 'doomed' to' a council home with basic care.'

Mojisola

pmlindyloo wrote: »

For those who have no choice about being funded by the local authority if they need to be moved to a care home I do think it is important not to make such a generalised statement and to inform people that if they are funded by their council they do have a choice.

In my area, (SE England) I do not know of any council run homes.

They only have a choice if they have money to add to the council's rate.

There aren't any council run homes around here, either. The council sets a rate that it will pay. Unless you or your relatives can top-up that amount then the only homes you can go to are the ones that charge the council rate.

If you can prove that you need more care than the basic homes can provide then you are still limited to homes that charge whatever the council will pay for your particular needs.

I have, in writing, our council's policy that if my father's money runs out and he can't find someone to top-up his fees, he will be moved to a cheaper home.

pmlindyloo

Mojisola wrote: »

They only have a choice if they have money to add to the council's rate.

There aren't any council run homes around here, either. The council sets a rate that it will pay. Unless you or your relatives can top-up that amount then the only homes you can go to are the ones that charge the council rate.

If you can prove that you need more care than the basic homes can provide then you are still limited to homes that charge whatever the council will pay for your particular needs.

I have, in writing, our council's policy that if my father's money runs out and he can't find someone to top-up his fees, he will be moved to a cheaper home.

To be absolutely honest this is a policy that needs to be challenged if need be.


My mother's council have a policy that they do not agree with residents being moved as they feel it is detrimental to their health and well being.


If this ever happened I would fight this tooth and nail.


Are you paying a top up fee? If you are, have you tried to get some funding from elsewhere?


Because it took a long time for us to find a suitable home for mum I was being hassled by the hospital and social services. I can remember saying to the social worker about one particular home they were recommending 'have you been there? I wouldn't put a dog in there'. They soon backed down. The reviews of the homes are readily available and although these alone are not absolute they are a useful starting point. But there is nothing better than arriving without an appointment and being shown round.

Mojisola

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Are you paying a top up fee? If you are, have you tried to get some funding from elsewhere?

Because it took a long time for us to find a suitable home for mum I was being hassled by the hospital and social services. I can remember saying to the social worker about one particular home they were recommending 'have you been there? I wouldn't put a dog in there'. They soon backed down. The reviews of the homes are readily available and although these alone are not absolute they are a useful starting point. But there is nothing better than arriving without an appointment and being shown round.

Dad will be self-funding when his house is sold so he is paying the top-up fee himself from his capital. None of us could afford to pay the extra for him so I'm glad he has his house to sell.

I visited the home that only charges the council rate and I couldn't have let him go there. It ticks all the boxes that the regulators check but, on the ground, it was way below the standard of the other homes we looked at.

cavework

BUT .. while these people who own one last asset after working their whole life are being forced to sell because they now need something back from the very community they contributed to their whole lives, we then have the smack head serial offender who gets his teeth fixed in prison cos Methadone is really bad for teeth and free driving lessons ,.. oh and lets not forget the golf lessons to build confidence and the financial help when the nasty prison sentence is over

teajug

cavework wrote: »

BUT .. while these people who own one last asset after working their whole life are being forced to sell because they now need something back from the very community they contributed to their whole lives, we then have the smack head serial offender who gets his teeth fixed in prison cos Methadone is really bad for teeth and free driving lessons ,.. oh and lets not forget the golf lessons to build confidence and the financial help when the nasty prison sentence is over

And do not forget the sex change for at £90K a time that the tax payer will foot the costs.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/386038/Prisoners-force-taxpayers-to-foot-90k-NHS-bill-for-sex-change

c53204

My Mother decided 2 years ago she wanted to move into a care home about 60 miles from where my wife and I live. She is 91, her husband died 10 years ago.

Her first home (private) cost her £880 per week. This was funded from money her husband had saved/insurance, etc.

After complaints about some staff, cold food and other things (from several residents). She eventually decided she wanted to move to another care home. Cost of ne care home -£525 per week. She is much happier. Expensive homes do always mean better treatment.

She also sold her home when funds started getting low to fund her continued care.

My mothers generation seem to think it is right to try and leave something for their children. My generation probably won't be able to afford to. My children? They say spend it while you can.