Care Home Costs - Would we need to sell our home?

vonsworld

Hello

I am currently caring for my elderly Mother who has the onset of dementia and we have both lived together in the same house for almost 10 years. It is my only home as well as my Mum's.

We can see no need for my Mum to enter residential care in the foreseeable future. However I am not a youngster myself, and we are concerned about what would happen if I became unable to cope and one day it became necessary for her to go into a home.

Our house is in my Mother's name, but it is also my only long standing home, and if it had to be sold I would be homeless.

In such circumstances please could someone tell us what would happen? Would the house be included in the assessment made by the council and sold off to pay for the care home costs?

Thanks

p00hsticks

Assuming that you are in England, then the current rules say that a persons home is not taken into consideration when calculating contributions to their care home costs if (among other reasons) a close relative over the age of 60 is living in the house

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/health-and-well-being/health-services/residential-care-and-nursing-homes/your-home-your-assets-and-your-care-home-fees.htm