Care Home fees - protecting parent's savings

Keep_pedalling

teddysmum wrote: »

Is this correct ? I assumed that only the £14250 was what you were allowed to keep, as ,at just under £23250, you would get very little help, so would continue self funding (at a shrinking rate) until fully supported when down to £14250.

Not quite true, every £250 over the £14250 is treated as £1 per week income, so you will have to contribute more, which in effect will eat into and possible more than wipe out the weekly allowence so what actually happens is the savings continue to fall slowly over time.

LHW99

I would add to Woody_56's comments - look into immediate care needs annuities.

fred246

My elderly relative was transferred from the hospital to the care home. We were told it was £500 a week. After a month Social Services came and we agreed it was the best place for her. Then they asked if she had cash. When we said she had the home then said it will be £700 a week. So the home is a mix of people - some paying £700 for their care and some being paid for by the council - £500. The care they get is exactly the same.

elsien

justme111 wrote: »

Out of interest- what needs are considered medical for NHS paying for care ?

It's assessed a combination of the need, the severity and complexity for various care domains:
1 Behaviour
2 Cognition
3 Psychological and emotional needs
4 Communication
5 Mobility
6 Nutrition – Food and Drink
7 Continence
8 Skin including tissue viability
9 Breathing
10 Drug therapies and medication: symptom control
11 Altered states of consciousness
12 Other significant care needs to be taken into consideration

There is an initial checklist carried out which decides whether the person qualifies for the full assessment, also know as the DST - decision support tool.

Following this, the person may then either qualify for full funding or for a nursing top up to the usual residential fees.

The person should be represented when this is completed either by family or an advocate if they are not able to take part themselves and I would challenge any assessment where this hasn't happened.

fuller info here.
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS20_NHS_continuing_healthcare_and_NHS-funded_nursing_care_fcs.pdf?dtrk=true

HarryFlatters

My poor dad is resident in a nice nursing home which took a fair bit of finding, there are a lot of appalling homes out there. He is self funding at £950per week but 25% of residents are council funded at £500 pw and receive exactly the same care. The home is dementia specialist which may account for the high fee along with its prime location in the London suburbs and the owners Lamborghini running costs.
I would second obtaining Power of Attorney for both health and financial matters.
I do find some of the responses here disingenuous, this board is to help save money and care homes are a sure fire way to lose money, much of which has been hard earned, taxed several times over and with a little forethought can be available to pass through the generations. My fathers situation is certainly not unique and he continues to fund state care indirectly through extorted bills.

Keep_pedalling

The difference in care fees comes down to the fact that care hows would like to fill their accommodation with self funders, but there are not enough of them to go round, so rather than leave rooms empty they accept LA funded residence. They make little money this way and even put up with losses, but those losses are a lot less than having rooms empty

Keep_pedalling

HarryFlatters wrote: »

My poor dad is resident in a nice nursing home which took a fair bit of finding, there are a lot of appalling homes out there. He is self funding at £950per week but 25% of residents are council funded at £500 pw and receive exactly the same care. The home is dementia specialist which may account for the high fee along with its prime location in the London suburbs and the owners Lamborghini running costs.
I would second obtaining Power of Attorney for both health and financial matters.
I do find some of the responses here disingenuous, this board is to help save money and care homes are a sure fire way to lose money, much of which has been hard earned, taxed several times over and with a little forethought can be available to pass through the generations. My fathers situation is certainly not unique and he continues to fund state care indirectly through extorted bills.

Oh come on not that old augment about hard earned money, taxed several times over. Most people (including me) are in this situation because we have received inheritances ourselves and /or bought a house bought for peanuts that is now worth a small fortune, none of which has been earned or which you have paid tax on.

For relatively wealthy people (especially boomers) to want current less wealthy tax payers to pay for their care, simply so they can provide a large windfall of unearned cash for their kids, is simply not acceptable to most of us.

veryintrigued

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

Oh come on not that old augment about hard earned money, taxed several times over. Most people (including me) are in this situation because we have received inheritances ourselves and /or bought a house bought for peanuts that is now worth a small fortune, none of which has been earned or which you have paid tax on.

For relatively wealthy people (especially boomers) to want current less wealthy tax payers to pay for their care, simply so they can provide a large windfall of unearned cash for their kids, is simply not acceptable to most of us.

Certain socialists seem to disagree (well for the past month anyway).

Mojisola

fred246 wrote: »

So the home is a mix of people - some paying £700 for their care and some being paid for by the council - £500. The care they get is exactly the same.

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

The difference in care fees comes down to the fact that care hows would like to fill their accommodation with self funders, but there are not enough of them to go round, so rather than leave rooms empty they accept LA funded residence. They make little money this way and even put up with losses, but those losses are a lot less than having rooms empty

Some homes work as Keep pedalling says - others will only accept self-funders or council-funders who have some to pay a top-up fee.

All the local homes have a waiting list so they don't need to accept lower paying residents.

Mojisola

HarryFlatters wrote: »

I do find some of the responses here disingenuous, this board is to help save money and care homes are a sure fire way to lose money

I've heard Martin say on several occasions that his aim was to help people from spending where they didn't need to so that they could afford the things that were worth spending on.

Having a good home in your last few months/years is one expense I'm happy to pay.