Does attendance allowance stop if you are in a care home?

merlinthehappypig

My father in law is seriously ill and unlikely to come out of hospital.

Since he was admitted to hospital my mother in law has been in a care home as part of respite care being arranged by the social worker.

She gets the higher rate of attendance allowance in her pension (about £62 a week I think).

If her husband dies we will move her to a home nearer to us and will presumably have to pay for this as it's personal care, not medical care, I suspect. She is 83 and had a serious stroke 10 years ago.

She has been in the current home just under 4 weeks and, sorting through their papers today, there is something on her attendance allowance award about having to tell them if she goes into a home for more than 28 days.

Obviously with everything else that is going on she hasn't told anyone - she is in the early stages of dementia anyway and completely unable to deal with anything.

Should we inform anyone on her behalf and what will happen when we do?

Larumbelle

As a general rule, if she is paying for the care home herself (or will do eventually, once she sells her house, for example) she can continue to claim.

If the council is paying for the care, her entitlement will end after 28 days. You should inform DWP and if she has dementia and you sort her benefits etc it might be worth asking to be made her appointee.

I hope you get things sorted and I wish your family all the best x

merlinthehappypig

Thanks

My wife already has power of attorney and has been dealing with the social workers on her behalf.

At the moment we are paying something like £80 a week towards her care, but she has recently sold her house and we expect to have to pay the full amount shortly.

Oldernotwiser

merlinthehappypig wrote: »

Thanks

My wife already has power of attorney and has been dealing with the social workers on her behalf.

At the moment we are paying something like £80 a week towards her care, but she has recently sold her house and we expect to have to pay the full amount shortly.

I don't follow your last point; why will you have to pay when your MIL sells her house? Surely the idea of this is so that she can fund her own care. Sorry if I've missed something.

krisskross

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I don't follow your last point; why will you have to pay when your MIL sells her house? Surely the idea of this is so that she can fund her own care. Sorry if I've missed something.

I think it is just a figure of speech as the daughter has power of attorney so deals with all her Mum's financial affairs.

merlinthehappypig

krisskross wrote: »

I think it is just a figure of speech as the daughter has power of attorney so deals with all her Mum's financial affairs.

Yes.

As we having to deal with all their finances it's we, as in it's us that are doing everything, but using their money from the house sale.

It probably wasn't that clear!

Oldernotwiser

merlinthehappypig wrote: »

Yes.

As we having to deal with all their finances it's we, as in it's us that are doing everything, but using their money from the house sale.

It probably wasn't that clear!

I thought that was probably what you meant but it's always worth making clear exactly whose money it is.