Any body know anything about oaps living in council bungalows? 13 March 2014 at 11:54AM in Over 50s MoneySaving 11 replies 3.8K views

chester19760

Hi my gran is 91, she moved into a council bungalow 3 years ago because her COPD and other problems meant her house wasn't suitable. She sold her house for 40,000 and this meant she had to pay full rent, bills and pay for her own carers. My granda then got dementia really bad and was put in a home which she had to pay for too, anyway 3 years later this 40,000 is now a mere 2 grand but she is still paying full price on everything. Does she have to be penniless before she gets a reduction, its worrying her that she needs a new bed and she cant afford one I just think its really sad that they as a couple have both worked all their lives fought in the war etc and she cant even enjoy her last few years because she pays so much on bills
Any help or advice appreciated

mummyroysof3

I'm pretty sure she would have got help with something's when it went lower than £16,000.

Mojisola

chester19760 wrote: »

Hi my gran is 91, she moved into a council bungalow 3 years ago because her COPD and other problems meant her house wasn't suitable. She sold her house for 40,000 and this meant she had to pay full rent, bills and pay for her own carers.

My granda then got dementia really bad and was put in a home which she had to pay for too, anyway 3 years later this 40,000 is now a mere 2 grand but she is still paying full price on everything.

Does she have to be penniless before she gets a reduction, its worrying her that she needs a new bed and she cant afford one I just think its really sad that they as a couple have both worked all their lives fought in the war etc and she cant even enjoy her last few years because she pays so much on bills

If the facts are right, she should not be paying for your grandad's care home.

I would get a benefits assessment done by someone like AgeUK (https://www.ageuk.org.uk/) or CAB.

Is she getting Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit? Does your grandad get AA?

You can do a check as well - https://www.gov.uk/benefits-adviser

chester19760

Sorry forgot to write my granddad was only in the home for a year he died in the home so shes been classed as a widow for 3 years
She gets 2 pensions 1 from her work 1 from state pension
I will find out my nearest CAB and go and see, does it matter that im not my grandma's next of kin? My mam is but she's 'too busy' to look into it

chester19760

that would mean shes been in a bungalow 4 years sorry getting confused im drowning in statements lol

McKneff

Ring the DWP up and if your gran is frail, she should be able to get a home visit for a benefits check.


Its nice that you care so much, well done to you for trying to sort it out for her.

Mojisola

chester19760 wrote: »

She gets 2 pensions 1 from her work 1 from state pension

I will find out my nearest CAB and go and see, does it matter that im not my grandma's next of kin? My mam is but she's 'too busy' to look into it

You need to have her with you and details of all her income and what's happened in the past.

If she doesn't get out much, ask about a home visit.

paulineb_2

chester19760 wrote: »

Hi my gran is 91, she moved into a council bungalow 3 years ago because her COPD and other problems meant her house wasn't suitable. She sold her house for 40,000 and this meant she had to pay full rent, bills and pay for her own carers. My granda then got dementia really bad and was put in a home which she had to pay for too, anyway 3 years later this 40,000 is now a mere 2 grand but she is still paying full price on everything. Does she have to be penniless before she gets a reduction, its worrying her that she needs a new bed and she cant afford one I just think its really sad that they as a couple have both worked all their lives fought in the war etc and she cant even enjoy her last few years because she pays so much on bills
Any help or advice appreciated

My gran had savings of less than 16 000 pounds and got a rent and council tax rebate, I believe the social work department helped her and my mum fill the forms in, she also got attendance allowance as well and they helped her fill those forms in.

When her savings were less than 16 000 pounds, at that point she should have qualified for some help with rent and council tax.

chester19760

thanks everyone I'll ring my local council and arrange for a home visit at a time when I can be there, she is frail she cant walk more than a few steps without stopping and has a carer she pays for that goes in 4 times a day she needs help in and out of bed etc.

tich2

She needs to have a full Occupational Therapy Assessment and also an assessment for her care needs. In East Sussex this would all be done by the same person. She will then be financially assessed and if your figures are correct she will not pay for any care. They will assess and check that the visits are needed and that the care agency aren't just going in for nothing. They will also get your gran a new bed if she needs a profiling one or raise her current one to the correct height if it is too low or there are other things that can be done with the current bed (mattress elevators/pillow lifts etc). Also if she is struggling with bed transfers/mobility I am sure she will be struggling with other transfers as well like toilet and chair transfers.
Please make sure you are there when they come to visit and make sure an OT is coming as well. Write down everything she is having difficulty with as when they come you are bound to forget something.
If your gran is anything like the people I assess in their homes she will play down everything that she is finding difficult and that is when it is crucial someone is there to tell them how it really is. Let us know how you get on or if you want any further advice or information.

hilstep2000

She's allowed to keep £23,500. Get someone from Adult Social Care at her local council to come and fill in all the forms for benefits she's entitled to.