Care cost

Paul_Herring

greenglide wrote: »

The LA has a negotiated rate with the home which we chose, the LA left it totally up to us. The LA rate was also available to my mother who was self funding, the difference isn't that much less.

The level of care is exactly the same, there are no "local authority rooms" or anything like that. This is one of the national providers or care homes.

If you're relying on LA funding, however, your choice of homes may be restricted. As in the LA turning round and saying "No - we won't (partially, if applicable) pay for care in *that* home - they're too expensive."

I almost got hit with that with my mother when I was 350 miles away and I wanted to put her in a home near her sister (in a near but different county to the one who would be funding her care) to at least ensure at least one family member could visit her regularly.

(As it turned out I ended up visiting her once a week as well, up to and including when I moved nearer.)

Mojisola

greenglide wrote: »

The level of care is exactly the same, there are no "local authority rooms" or anything like that. This is one of the national providers or care homes.

This isn't the case everywhere.

There is one home in each town around us that charges the LA rate - and it shows. I visited our local one and would never leave a relative in their care.

Anyone who wants better care can go to a more expensive home if they or the family pay top-up fees in addition to the LA rate.

AnotherJoe

greenglide wrote: »

My mother in law is in residential care which is paid, in part by the local authority - they did an assessment, she pays some, they pay the rest.

The LA has a negotiated rate with the home which we chose.

Thats the issue, it just so happens they have a rate with one you chose They might not have had one with another. They wont have a negotiated rate with every home in the area, just some, generally the cheapest ones.

So, whats the OPs plan if the ones around when (if) they are looking for themselves, aren't to their liking?

greenglide

Or, of course, the people who are worried about care costs in the future could move to an area of the country where they can afford it.

PasturesNew

Not everybody ends up needing care. You can avoid it by staying healthy and never getting old.

Or, get married and "go first".

greenglide

Thats the issue, it just so happens they have a rate with one you chose They might not have had one with another. They wont have a negotiated rate with every home in the area, just some, generally the cheapest ones.

We looked at 5 or 6 and they all charge around the same price. While I wouldnt actively want to live in any of them they were all better than I had imagined them to be.

Of course, when the minimum wage goes up, the fees are bound to go up significantly as wage costs are bound to be their biggest cost.

Paul_Herring

PasturesNew wrote: »

You can avoid it by staying healthy and never getting old.

Heh. Try again with that trite comment please?

missbiggles1

greenglide wrote: »

Or, of course, the people who are worried about care costs in the future could move to an area of the country where they can afford it.

Care homes in the NW are certainly cheaper than in the SE but they still cost nearly £500 pw (on average).

http://www.payingforcare.org/care-home-fees

greenglide

but they still cost nearly £500 pw (on average).

Which is within the range that LAs will pay for.

Maybe the southerners should export their care home residents to the north? I dont live in the NW.

AnotherJoe

greenglide wrote: »

We looked at 5 or 6 and they all charge around the same price.

Was that because you were looking to a budget?
Were there any at say 50-100% more that you just didn't bother to look at?