Both parents in Care Home but property only in one name

CazzaBell

Hoping someone can help please. I have queries regarding my elderly parents for whom I hold LPAs for.

In December 2023, my mother who has Vascular Dementia went into a care home, leaving my father who is 86 and blind at home with care coming into the home.

In February 2024, my father quickly became too frail and unsafe to stay in the home without 24/7 care and therefore went permanently into the same home as my mother.

Financial assessments had obviously been carried out by the local authority, however during this process it was discovered the property was only in my father's name from 1968. My parents have had mirror wills since 2002 however recently, as my father still has full capacity he wanted to amend his will for myself to be the sole beneficiary rather than my mother as he's always been very financially aware (apart from never signing the house over) and knows my mother will inherit his assets should he pass first he doesn't want the full care fees to 'pass' to her.

My mother is deemed to have half the joint bank account only, and pays the lower threshold fee currently. However, my father is fully funding after his first 12 weeks which is the norm. Now I'm in process of selling the house, am I able to pay the funds into an account solely in my father's name as the property is his asset only?
 
I have discussed deferred payment scheme with the council, and have now been made aware that I can decide to do this at a later date should the property not sell just yet. and I have figured out I can use their money to pay care fees for around 9 months. 

So my other query is, am I better to use the deferred payment scheme so the money in the joint bank account depletes first rather than go straight for the deferred scheme, as at some point there is a chance I won't have to pay for mum? The care fees are extortionate as it is.

Any help would be appreciated.

Keep_pedalling

You need to close that joint account and open separate accounts for each of them, you can’t simply pay your father’s care cost from your mother’s share of the joint account. Doing that would be seen as you not acting in your mother’s best interests. 

CazzaBell

So if I've had a financial assessment, presumably the safest thing to do is just half exactly what is in the account when I do that and pay individually for their fees? The local authority won't have any issues with anything untoward then?

Keep_pedalling

CazzaBell said:

So if I've had a financial assessment, presumably the safest thing to do is just half exactly what is in the account when I do that and pay individually for their fees? The local authority won't have any issues with anything untoward then?

That would be the safest option and there is certainly nothing untoward about it. If will make things far simpler for you as well.