Pension credits and Care Home

Pollycat

Pennylane said:

Pennylane said:

Not quite understanding this. So the LA pay her care home fees from her benefits and leave her with a small amount (which is usual.) 

Are you confusing State Pension with Pension Credit?

Pennylane
Are you asking yourself a question?

Pennylane

Looks like it! 🤣🤣🤣

Keep_pedalling

My mother was in a similar situation, but I don’t see how she can save it all. Does she not have to buy her own toiletries and pay for things like a hairdresser? She must have other expenditure such as new underwear and Christmas and birthday presents for family. All of these things used up my mum’s allowance so her savings did not grow for the 18 months she was in residential care.

Newly_retired

If she has not got a funeral plan, there needs to be enough set aside to pay for the funeral, when the time comes.
Apart from that, spend it on little luxuries, a TV or radio for her room, a nice cushion, a magazine subscription, or essentials like spectacles, clothes, slippers, gifts.

Pennylane

Just thinking about all the extras I used to get for my Mum. Nice clothes which she loved, nightwear, underwear, toiletries, hairdresser fortnightly, footcare monthly, magazines, knitting wool, slippers, Stikin name tags, pop sox, picture frames for family photos, perfume, batteries for radio and clock.  

mckee214

I know there are plenty of things she could spend her money on,  but she won't.   She's not mobile,  can't see very well and can't hear very well,  so I can't buy her books/magazines and she couldn't use a tablet or radio.  She has a TV which she has at full volume (which really annoys the other residents) and we've suggested getting her a new one with Bluetooth headphones but she won't.  She doesn't buy Christmas or birthday presents for any of us (hadn't for years) and I've put all the photos into frames for her. So all these helpful posts making me feel bad at her not spending her money aren't really helpful, just upsetting to me.   I don't want her money just wanted to do the best thing for her - I just wanted some legal guidance. 

badmemory

There is only really one bit of legal guidance you need & you were doing it before you came on here.  You have a POA which obliges you to act in her best interests.  In my mother's case that meant paying out a small fortune to get her hearing aids which she would wear.  The NHS ones that were the over the ear ones actually landed up making the back of her ear bleed.  Unfortunately you can't make her spend money on herself if she has no wish to, but hearing aids may be something she would consider, it would also please the other residents..  Getting the optician in to get her new glasses.  They will visit the home & you can be there for the eye test etc.

mckee214

Thank you.  She does have a hearing aid, but won't wear it,  and there's nothing they can do for her eyes -- she already has the best glasses she can have,  but it's not just a case of long or short sight. 

JJWSJS8700

As I said:

She’s allowed to have £10k saved without it affecting her benefits, or care home fee contribution.

Plus if she’s in receipt of pension credit even higher savings.

Can I ask, is all her benefits still the same as when she was at home, except they take them all for care home fees?

badmemory

I didn't think you could get pension credit or attendance allowance if you weren't self funding.  Isn't that one of the grounds for complaint by the LA against the gov.