Moving a relative to a home - BADLY need advice!

LizEstelle

I can't see any better forum to post this on, sorry.

I have a very elderly relative who has lived in his own home till now but the situation is now becoming impossible. Too complicated/embarrassing to explain.

Is there anyone out there who knows the ins and outs of financial implications - social security/tax etc - of possibly finding a nursing/residential home for him?

I admit to being totally in the dark about this and would hugely appreciate any pointers or advice you could give..

Brighton_belle

LizEstelle wrote: »

I can't see any better forum to post this on, sorry.

I have a very elderly relative who has lived in his own home till now but the situation is now becoming impossible. Too complicated/embarrassing to explain.

Is there anyone out there who knows the ins and outs of financial implications - social security/tax etc - of possibly finding a nursing/residential home for him?

I admit to being totally in the dark about this and would hugely appreciate any pointers or advice you could give..

This is a tough time for all concerned, you have my sympathy.


I assume your relative in resident in England.

If he has over £23,000 of assets (cash/shares: plus property (is only counted if he is the sole resident and has no partner entitled to live there) he will be self funding. State and occupational pensions and any other income will also be taken into account. If he's self funding, that means you just need to find a suitable place.

However, if he is close to that threshold, or below, he needs to be assessed by social services and the local council who will also assess his finances and then confirm if they consider he needs to be in a home and what financial assistance he is eligible for.
If his local council are paying for it, they tend to dictate where he goes.


Edited to add: by 'close to the threshold' I mean has less than 2 years money to self fund. Otherwise, if he runs out of cash, and SS/council then assess him, they can insist he is moved to somewhere on their list because there is a max limit they will pay (varies by council). Which would be very distressing for your relative.
Relatives can pay what's called the 'top up' fee making the difference between what the council will pay and what the room actually costs but of course you have to prove you have the money to do that for a several years.

troubleinparadise

Dear LizEstelle,

This is a fairly large topic, but Brighton Belle has given you some good tips about your starting point.

Age UK's website has lots of information:

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/

I'm not sure if your elderly relative may be suffering from dementia, but if that is the case then the Alzheimer's Society website has lots of information and support; it's financial section applies to anyone, whether suffering from dementia or not:

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200343

I hope that gives you some reading material to be going along with.

getmore4less

There is a long running thread somewhere that covers funding.

Not seen it for a while so not sure where it is


If the person is already struggling at home there should be GP and social involvement already doing assessments.

often a trigger point can be a hospital emergency, that can be a good time to resist any attempt by the system to send them home without support full assessments etc.

I know it does not happen with all health authorities but some as soon as they think they can dump everything on a relative they will.

konark

The choice between council or self-funding often come down to whether they own their home or not. Those who do will definitely be self-funding at least initially, whilst those that don't will get a council-approved home. The council will fund temporarily if the house is to be sold, as long as they are repaid. They usually put a charge on the house.

Yorkshireman99

It is also important to relalise that if the person requires nursing care rather than social care then this paid for by the NHS and is not chargeable.

Pollycat

Yorkshireman99 wrote: »

It is also important to relalise that if the person requires nursing care rather than social care then this paid for by the NHS and is not chargeable.

You are referring to 'NHS Continuimg Healthcare'.

It is notoriously difficult to get funding agreement from the NHS for this.
A user called monkeyspanner has posted quite a few threads on the subject.

Like getmoreforless, I would expect adult social services to be involved.
They were actually the people who suggested a couple of care homes that were suitable for my Dad.

jackyann

You really need input from GP / community nursing team / Adult social services.
In the current climate, different authorities organise things differently, and it can be a minefield, but advice based on our personal experience may not work in your area.
If any of the above are known to be involved, approach them. If not, start with the GP.
You can start looking at homes, but given the situation you imply, it may have to be a specialist home and they will need input from professionals. They will then give you the financial information.

Good luck

LizEstelle

I would like to thank you all for your input. I was aware of some matters but many details are now clearer to me than before.

Much appreciated.

LizEstelle

Incidentally, can anyone confirm that a person who is privately funding his/her residential care does not stand to lose any attendance allowance..?

Please see this Age Concern document which seems to state as much - para 2(a): http://www.housingcare.org/downloads/kbase/2050.pdf

Yorkshireman99

LizEstelle wrote: »

Incidentally, can anyone confirm that a person who is privately funding his/her residential care does not stand to lose any attendance allowance..?




The above should help. Also Googling will tell you more.