Benefits for non-pension age spouse if partner goes into a care home

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  • lisyloo
    lisyloo Posts: 29,615 Forumite
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    The stairs would be my main concern.
    That can be got around with a stair lift (assuming he can bend his knees) if they have the money.
    My MIL and FIL downsized to a flat when they were 74. The advantages were lower costs, less cleaning/maintenance, company and of course no stairs.
    They also had some spare money to do some things like go on cruises.
    They changed the bath for a shower (no step and a pump as it wasn't raised).
    They both had care visits at home and both ended up in nursing care (at age 89).
    Obviously I don't know his situation but there is quite a lot that can be done before the care home stage, both in terms of equipment and care at home.
    We found social services to be helpful and they wanted to keep them at home as long as possible not just for financial reasons but wellbeing as well.
  • p00hsticks
    p00hsticks Posts: 12,818 Forumite
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    lisyloo wrote: »
    The stairs would be my main concern.
    That can be got around with a stair lift (assuming he can bend his knees) if they have the money.
    My MIL and FIL downsized to a flat when they were 74. The advantages were lower costs, less cleaning/maintenance, company and of course no stairs.
    They also had some spare money to do some things like go on cruises.
    They changed the bath for a shower (no step and a pump as it wasn't raised).

    It sounds like your MIL and FIL owned their own home. In the OPs case the couple are in rented accomodation.

    I guess theoretically renting means they may find it easier to move from their existing property into a flat, but it will severely restrict their options in terms of making alterations to their existing home (stair lift, bath for shower etc)
  • skcollobcat10
    skcollobcat10 Posts: 331 Forumite
    edited 13 August 2018 at 11:25PM
    question answered
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,685 Forumite
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    skcollobcat10 wrote: »
    If home is rented by council or housing association adaptations can be done through occupational therapist and associations will arrange for the work to be done.
    Unless I'm misunderstanding the terminology in bold, this ^^^^ won't apply to the OP's in-laws.
    saltandpepper123 wrote: »
    I have a worry about my father and step mother; he is retired, she is not yet of pension age (not for a few years). My step mother doesn't work, they have no savings to speak of, and are living off his state pension and a small occupational pension. They live in private rented accommodation and have recently applied for - and been awarded - housing benefit and some council tax relief (pride prevented them from doing so before, it has taken some persuading to get them to apply). As we are noticing that his health and mobility is deteriorating we are wanting to see what plans they can make for the future. She is dependent on him financially but if he was, down the line, to go into a care home, am I right in thinking that the housing benefit would stop, and she would be without the money to pay for the rent? As she isn't yet old enough to draw a pension (and I am not sure about her NI contributions up to now - ie whether she would even be eligible for a state pension), we are worried she may be left in a really difficult situation. It looks to me that she would need to get a job in order to survive. I can't find much info about what happens to the spouse who remains at home, only info on what happens to the person going into a care home. I am sure this situation can't be unique but obviously less likely than a few decades ago. Thanks for any help and advice!
  • Daisyone
    Daisyone Posts: 18 Forumite
    Yes - sorry, a basic error there. It is of course Attendance Allowance hey should b looking at.
  • Tabbytabitha
    Tabbytabitha Posts: 4,684 Forumite
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    lisyloo wrote: »
    When someone is not able to look after all of their personal care the first steps are usually to get carers visting the home to help.
    This might for example start with one daily visit to help getting out of bed, getting dressed and getting washed. It can be increased to 4 visits of 1 hour per day if required.
    For my MIL and FIL this was funded by the Local authority and the threshold for income (which varies on needs) was around £300 per week before they would have to pay.
    There was also other help available such as a day center visit for MIL to give FIL (an elderly disabled carer) some respite.

    Going into a care home is a last resort if someone is beyond the 4 x 1 hour visits per day. This would include people who couldn't get to the bathroom and weren't mobile enough for sufficient hydration/nutrtion. Presumably his younger non-working wife can get drinks and food?

    Also note that it isn't a choice (if you don't have private funds).
    The local authority will only pay for a care home when it is really needed.

    Whilst I agree that a care home is a last resort and only for a minority of people, if you live with a much younger spouse, I rather doubt that the first step is to get in paid carers.
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