Beyond shocked/ angry. Had decided to be calm and try to accept all that has happened with dad and this bloody awful illness, try to focus on enjoying my time with him. Dad been in care home since last March. The deterioration has been rapid, physically and mentally- I've struggled to keep up. I have POA and had rented dad's house out, with his pensions etc, shortfall was manageable from my income... Then.. 10percent rise in care home fees!!! 1 months notice, I have to find £380 more per month. I don't think I could move dad because he's so frail now. I would have sold his house immediately if I thought for a minute the fees could be increased to this level with no notice, but now have a tenant in situ. What other 'business' would get away with this?? Unbelievable. My dad is not a rich man, has a modest 2 bedroom house, but the letter from care home explains that the fees have gone up for self funding residents because of council cuts... I really thought I was doing my best,for dad and my brothers.. Now I'm up the creek. Really don't know what to do :-/
Care Home- fees increased, just when I was in control.
- Thread starter Gwendy1
- Start date
- Status
So sorry Gwendy.
It's a fairly common financial situation - necessary expenditure unexpectedly becoming more than the revenue coming in. Would the bank administering your Dad's finances let you have a free problem-solving discussion with one of the senior staff to work out what options you realistically have? They've a vested interest in not leaving you to struggle alone with this predicament, surely?
It's a fairly common financial situation - necessary expenditure unexpectedly becoming more than the revenue coming in. Would the bank administering your Dad's finances let you have a free problem-solving discussion with one of the senior staff to work out what options you realistically have? They've a vested interest in not leaving you to struggle alone with this predicament, surely?
How absolutely horrible for you.
Can you speak to the care home - they do sometimes have some flexibility - and as they are saying you are basically funding the council funded places - I think that is an almighty liberty - outrageous but that's another story! Tell them that you are personally funding the shortfall and not your dad and see if they can be flexible.
Have you looked to see if your dad might be elibible for Continuing Healthcare funding? Some care homes are very good at looking into this but others you just have to get on with it - it is worth requesting an assessment. Have a look at the threads on here.
10% is a massive rise
Can you speak to the care home - they do sometimes have some flexibility - and as they are saying you are basically funding the council funded places - I think that is an almighty liberty - outrageous but that's another story! Tell them that you are personally funding the shortfall and not your dad and see if they can be flexible.
Have you looked to see if your dad might be elibible for Continuing Healthcare funding? Some care homes are very good at looking into this but others you just have to get on with it - it is worth requesting an assessment. Have a look at the threads on here.
10% is a massive rise
An extra £380 a month so you're currently paying £3,800 and it's going up to £4,180 a month
I wonder how much extra the LA will be paying where it picks up the tab, nothing or less than nothing.
Whilst we all applaud things like; the national minimum wage, the living wage, maternity pay, paternity pay, workplace pensions and all the rest so much of a care homes costs are the staff that I'm not surprised they have to put the charges up.
You do mention "brothers" if they want to hold onto the house too then could they make a contribution?
The government seems to see employers as able to carry any costs they want to burden them with without realising that at the end of the day we all have to pay them by paying increased prices somewhere along the line.
If self funders get a 10% increase then so should the LA, as the politicians are always telling us "we're all in this together" except I doubt (irrespective of which political party runs the LA) that they won't be.
K
I wonder how much extra the LA will be paying where it picks up the tab, nothing or less than nothing.Whilst we all applaud things like; the national minimum wage, the living wage, maternity pay, paternity pay, workplace pensions and all the rest so much of a care homes costs are the staff that I'm not surprised they have to put the charges up.
You do mention "brothers" if they want to hold onto the house too then could they make a contribution?
The government seems to see employers as able to carry any costs they want to burden them with without realising that at the end of the day we all have to pay them by paying increased prices somewhere along the line.
If self funders get a 10% increase then so should the LA, as the politicians are always telling us "we're all in this together" except I doubt (irrespective of which political party runs the LA) that they won't be.
K
What an awful situation for you! like has been suggested, talk to them. Maybe they will even postpone the increase until the house can be sold or something. I know, as Kevin says, staff costs are enormous in care homes, but tbh, for good, well trained care staff, I think the work they do is worth paying for. It needs a pretty specialised set of skills, and has taken many years for it to be recognised as much more than "unskilled labour ".
Talk to your brothers too, see what they suggest. Don't accept all the burden on your own shoulders! Hopefully some solution can be found. It certainly seems very unfair to expect people who are already paying full whack to pay more because of cuts in Government funding for care for most vulnerable in society, which is what it boils down to. Why is this not being highlighted more in the media?
Talk to your brothers too, see what they suggest. Don't accept all the burden on your own shoulders! Hopefully some solution can be found. It certainly seems very unfair to expect people who are already paying full whack to pay more because of cuts in Government funding for care for most vulnerable in society, which is what it boils down to. Why is this not being highlighted more in the media?
I would suggest that you ring his social worker, or if none, ring the Local Authourity Adult Social Care to speak to someone about finance and funding of a care home placement and ask if you could arrange a Deferred Payment Scheme to fund his place. A 10% fee increase top up seems to be a very large amount on what is already a very expensive placement. ( to me , anyway!)
It is a shocker.. Just another curve ball!! I would have no issue with selling dad's house, only didn't because I thought I had it all worked out without doing so- didn't see it coming Life is never simple these past few years, or for any of us trying to deal with caring for our loved ones and also their finances. I will be writing to care home head office- big company- and speak to dad's bank, need to sort out something to fund care till tenant's lease up and house sold. Other family can't help financially, not their fault. Maybe my employer will give me a 10percent rise!!! Lol!!! (Joke!).. I guess there will be a way around it, I'm trying to remain calm. Thank u all for advice and support. At least my wee dad isn't aware of all this nonsense- he was so fastidious with his money, he would be horrified if he knew all his life savings and more gone in 2 years of care costs between care at home and care home. I do know 'it's only right he pays for his care' etc etc, but I'd rather he was fit and spending it on holidays,anything else really.. Sorry, I'm off on one again, life can be cruel.
Life is never simple these past few years, or for any of us trying to deal with caring for our loved ones and also their finances. I will be writing to care home head office- big company- and speak to dad's bank, need to sort out something to fund care till tenant's lease up and house sold. Other family can't help financially, not their fault. Maybe my employer will give me a 10percent rise!!! Lol!!! (Joke!).. I guess there will be a way around it, I'm trying to remain calm. Thank u all for advice and support. At least my wee dad isn't aware of all this nonsense- he was so fastidious with his money, he would be horrified if he knew all his life savings and more gone in 2 years of care costs between care at home and care home. I do know 'it's only right he pays for his care' etc etc, but I'd rather he was fit and spending it on holidays,anything else really.. Sorry, I'm off on one again, life can be cruel.
When mum went into her CH I was warned that as her needs increased and she required more care then her fees would increase too. There is an annual review of her needs and the price for the year is set at that time.
Which reminds me - her annual review will be coming up soon.
Which reminds me - her annual review will be coming up soon.
I too have had a letter from mum's CH today. Her fees have increased from £818pw to £910 that's 11% without any increase in her care needs. I wonder whether it's the same group? I looked at their accounts online today at direct.gov website and they made £11 million profit last year with the highest paid director's remuneration being £566,000 and 10 directors earning £3 million between them. I'm mum's POA and sold her flat to pay for the fees but regret having done so because the money runs out in 3 years time at which point the CH want me to fund the difference between the LA rate and their fees and god only knows what they will have increased to by then. I am absolutely worried sick about the situation and it will probably kill me first. We did look at investing the money in property but the rentable value didn't cover the CH fees either.
Anyway apologies for having hi-jacked your post. My advice to you is try your hardest not to sell the house. However you will need to look at releasing capital from it or allowing your LA to take a charge over the property so you lose some of it anyway but by having rent coming in at least you are making up some of the shortfall. Your bank should be able to advise how best to do this.
I just wish there was somewhere we could complain to about extortionate CH fees rises. It seems that private companies can set their own fee level and there s always someone to fill their beds. It seems like the only thing that I can do is to look for a cheaper option. Unfortunately mum cannot live with me because my home isn't suitable for her mobility issues. Even if I could move somewhere suitable mum requires 24 hour care because she is often up at night and has other health issues.
Like you I'm angry and ill with worry. This awful disease afflicts more than just the sufferer in so any ways.
Anyway apologies for having hi-jacked your post. My advice to you is try your hardest not to sell the house. However you will need to look at releasing capital from it or allowing your LA to take a charge over the property so you lose some of it anyway but by having rent coming in at least you are making up some of the shortfall. Your bank should be able to advise how best to do this.
I just wish there was somewhere we could complain to about extortionate CH fees rises. It seems that private companies can set their own fee level and there s always someone to fill their beds. It seems like the only thing that I can do is to look for a cheaper option. Unfortunately mum cannot live with me because my home isn't suitable for her mobility issues. Even if I could move somewhere suitable mum requires 24 hour care because she is often up at night and has other health issues.
Like you I'm angry and ill with worry. This awful disease afflicts more than just the sufferer in so any ways.
In no way did you hi-jack anything! Thank u so much for your advice and for sharing your situation. It was my plan to try to keep dad's house if I could, it was my late mum's wish- she knew the care home would be needed for dad when she passed away 2 years ago. She worked for NHS all her days as a nurse, and was not a fan of paying for care!! I fear we are both buying care from the same provider... I am going to complain in writing re. Fee rise with short notice etc. This will do no good, but I'll feel better for it. Unfortunately, putting dad's well-being as my priority, I am stuck with them. He is too frail to move, and would be even more disorientated. Also, he chose this Home, the last decision he was able to make for himself. :-( with the figures you have researched re.the company's directors' income, I have only one word- unconscionable! Please take care, thank u again. X
I am dreading the CH day as I cant see that if OH money runs out that I will be able to pay anything extra as giving up work at 54 to care for him my pot will be very dry.
I still think that you should complain to the Home about the extortionate increase - a 3% increase would be bad enough but 11% is completely unreasonable and doesn't reflect an increase in need
I think I will try to complain. I'm just a bit worried that if I do I won't be happy to visit. This isn't the first increase either. When mum originally went into the CH nearly three years ago her fees were £750pw so this latest increase represents an increase of 21% in 3 years. The letter said that the increase was due to having to pay the new living wage from May 2016. However that has only increased by 50p per hour = £12 per 24 hour day and £84 per 7 day week per carer. At mum's home the carer ratio is 1 to 5 residents so this only represents £17 per week increase per resident. Does this make sense to you all if I ask the care home what the remaining £75 is for?
I'd go with the letter to head office suggestion, if as you say the home is part of a bit group the costs will be dictated by head office so it'd be a bit like me asking a Tesco store manager to justify the price of the potatoes, they just do what head office tells them they have no say in the matter.
What would be interesting is to find out what the Herts and Cambs LA's pay the care home, I bet that won't be going up 10 or 11%, so part of the increase will be to subsidise the LA.
From an article in the Guardian "The number of beds in care homes in the UK fell by 3,000 last year, the first decline for a decade according to research by industry analysts Laing Buisson. In addition, private residents now pay 40% more on average than publicly funded residents for like-for-like services as care homes try to make up their funding shortfall." (link to the full article below)
Ultimately though these are private companies out to make a profit and will charge what the market is willing to pay and what the LA is unwilling to pay.
K
http://www.theguardian.com/society/...not-enough-to-save-care-homes-from-bankruptcy
What would be interesting is to find out what the Herts and Cambs LA's pay the care home, I bet that won't be going up 10 or 11%, so part of the increase will be to subsidise the LA.
From an article in the Guardian "The number of beds in care homes in the UK fell by 3,000 last year, the first decline for a decade according to research by industry analysts Laing Buisson. In addition, private residents now pay 40% more on average than publicly funded residents for like-for-like services as care homes try to make up their funding shortfall." (link to the full article below)
Ultimately though these are private companies out to make a profit and will charge what the market is willing to pay and what the LA is unwilling to pay.
K
http://www.theguardian.com/society/...not-enough-to-save-care-homes-from-bankruptcy
Thank you for replying. I don't mind sending you a PM to tell you who the company is but I'd rather not publish it on here in case they sue for libel not that any of this is untrue. The business address is Chelsea Harbour so I should have expected that they'd be more about profits than people. The trouble is the CH itself is lovely and the manager sold it to me at £750 pw, which I thought was reasonable at the time. We were in the middle of a crisis then. Mum was found lost at 2.30am on a freezing cold night in March and I was grateful just to find somewhere safe for her. I didn't think about the long term consequences.
Thank you that is such an interesting article. Worrying though where will it all end?
Probably in the same situation as Northern Ireland where
"A total of 254 care home residents and 393 staff face an uncertain future after the UK's largest private care home company said the homes were no longer viable. "
K
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...ans-to-shut-staterun-facilities-34229415.html
- Status
