@hooperman It's been a couple of years since Mum was contributing to her care at home but what happens is firstly the amount of care required is calculated, then a financial assessment is conducted which calculates available income, taking into account living costs and other necessary outgoings. This will then produce the amount the individual will be expected to pay towards the cost of their care at home - the amount will vary from person to person dependant on their personal circumstances. There is a minimum amount that the individual must be left with, and they certainly didn't 'take every penny off' Mum - she was still able to pay her utility bills, buy food/clothes etc without having to struggle. I thought the amount she had to contribute towards her care visits and day centre was very reasonable, and the local authority has contracts with care companies so can negotiate better rates.
In terms of being better off, then obviously by contributing towards their care the individual won't be financially better off, but mum was definitely better off for having the care so it depends on how you look at it. Some on here have posted to say that their local authority paid for all of the home care when the lower limit was reached so it may vary depending where you live.
