Worried 'bout my mum

dorry_2

I was reading an article in Saturday's Daily Mail, about this subject. It seems like your mum is not on her own, they are calling the over 60's 'a generation in debt' Lots of the pensioners are complaining that they can't live on the pension.

I think it is a bit radical to think of selling her house, would nt that just end up costing her more if she has to rent somewhere??

I would get some advice from the local cab and see if she can do some basic budgeting etc ...

hth

missile

When my father died, my mum sold her house and moved to rented accomodation. She was in the Wrens and fortunately she qualified for a home run by the British Legion. She is much happier now that she has some new neighbours and more disposable income to enjoy her life with.

monkeyspanner

Some ideas for your Mum:
-Is she claiming winterfuel payment, if not claim for the winter just gone?
-Is she claiming pension credit?
-Has she got a bus pass (free in wales)?
-If she is living on her own is she getting a reduction in her council tax?
-MOT at Nationwide Autocentres they will take Tesco clubcard vouchers £12.50 for virtually the whole MOT fee £50.35. Also if you take out their MOT guarantee £49.95 well before the MOT is due (90 days I think) you are covered for up to £650 in repairs. Wear items like tyres, batteries, etc. not included have a look at the fine print on their website.

Think very carefully about her selling the house. If she has capital and lives in sheltered accommodation she will have to pay for care if she needs care in her own home at a later date, whereas if she lives in her own home with little savings the council will pay most of the care fees. Hopefully though it sounds like she is a long way off that situation. Maybe a little support from more assertive people of her own age group would help.

getting-sorted-sarah

There is loads of information available. Age Concern in your mum's area can provide info on benefits/entitlements and also on housing options and raising capital.
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/local.asp
You can read the factsheets online too.
Many people receiving 'full pension' don't realise that they can apply for Pension Credit, even if they have savings, or another smallish pension, and also get help with the Council Tax and rent if appropriate - your mum needs a full benefits check - if Age Concern Locally aren't able to do this (my local one can, I work there) they will signpost to someone who can. That way she can find out if anything is due without having to fill in the forms first.

getting-sorted-sarah

margaretclare wrote: »

Well, I wish they wouldn't. A whole generation of people cannot be the same - written off as a 'generation in debt'. DH and I are not in debt, for a start, and we know very many other people in our age-group who are not in debt.


M

You're quite right. Tabloid rubbish.

EdInvestor

magicgenie wrote: »

she went on to say how she can ONLY just survive day to day (she lives in Wales on a full pension) but is constantly worried about money and 'out of the ordinary' expenses, she says she's had the estate agent in and her house is worth 120,000, but she asked me where could she go, that would be cheaper (in order to gain some money from the sale, to live on).

She could consider equity release, which would enable her to draw a lump sum and/or an income from her home, on a lifetime mortgage basis.She pays nothing in her lifetime, the loan rolls up and is repaid when she dies or goes into care.There is a guarantee of no negative equity.

Have a look here:

https://www.ship-ltd.org

Savvy_Sue

While you've got lots of good advice here, I'm not sure this is a subject which can be fully explored with your mum in a series of phone calls. I would encourage her to get in touch with Age Concern, there's no shame in saying "I'm worried about money", and they will help her make sure she is claiming everything she is entitled to.

Then I hope you'd be able to make a visit and talk through some of these other suggestions.

Another of which is HomeShare - maybe asking Age Concern if they've heard of this scheme which matches a younger person with an older person who wants someone to share their home.

magicgenie

Wow!
Thanks everyone, it's o so very kind of you to take the time to write.
I've thought about what everyone's written and also written down all the useful info, gonna talk to mum now and see if i can cheer her up a bit.
A

soupdragon52

probably a bit late with this piece of advice but here goes any way, maybe your mum has a lot of time on her hands and finds she uses it to worry about things that may not be as bad as it seems. Perhaps there is a young family nearby that would love to have a 'Granny' pop in to see them if she likes young ones that is. It would give her time out of her home and something else to think about and hopefully make her happier. I knew someone who did this and it worked really well, she got lots of pictures from her 'grandchildren'
and the family even included her on days out occasionally. I do realise it wouldn't work for everyone but just a thought.

sleepless_saver

dronid wrote: »

. It would be one of those really useful things if the government produced a simple leaflet for pensioners listing information like the stuff on this page e.g. what should always be free if you're a pensioner, what would be means tested and where you can get help on applying etc. .

This is a bit late but might still be useful to people - the government has published a guide which does cover all this stuff. Link here