Dear DD.
Councils seem to have different criteria and rules.
This is the needs assessment, but we never had an indicative cost perhaps because it does not mean much. The cost would depend on where one hires the help.
The financial assessment is different this is a real maze. It is simpler if there is one person owning one house.
It is complicated when there are two, one needs to protect whoever is 'last man standing'. Who may require a roof over their head etc.
Because of health issues it could be either, not necessarily the one with the more obvious needs, such as my husband.
If it were one, income, savings and eventually any property could mean self funding, unless renting.
With two it often means the first is not selfunding although the last man standing is likely to be.
With older women who were not career oriented there were few pensions so their work revolved around the man's work. This is now the problem I and many in their eighties are facing, the goal posts are moved when the historical playing field cannot be.
If I were to marry now, the way we decided to earn a family living and the proportions of home contributions would be different. Perhaps the sureness of our love would mean we did not need to publicly commit. Society expected and was geared to this in the 1950s. The tax system was geared to the male being the provider.
The financial assessment is something else, do not go there if you can self fund. We cannot because the savings would run out, carehomes are asking for a guarantee of funds for two to three years.
We need the council to agree to step in while I need a home. I gather the respite assessment takes nearly all the income, care at home allows the possibility of a certain sum beng waived for home responsibilities. It seems based on a wing and a prayer rather than a right. I could be wrong but it is difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff in getting information.
Nothing is cohesive, each department is separate from the next. The assessor had no knowledge of finance. Finance has no knowledge of the actual situation just names and facts. OT came to visit but the right equipment does not fit a home situation. It is complicated. I hope you sort your Mums situation out.