Care Homes

[JackMac]

Hello

we have reached the dreaded day...mum got a lot worse last week and went into emergency respite with a view to it being permanent. has been an awful depressing few days and poor dad looks so down.

The CPN is coming to meet with us on tuesday and no doubt social services will be out soon but I just wondered if you could all tell me what to expect.

At the moment she is in a lovely home we once used before for respite. It's 2 roads away from dad's house and is more like a big old house than a nursing home. the staff are lovely. to be honest the thing that keeps me going is the thought she could stay there permanently.

However, the top up when she is in respite is about £185/week I think which dad pays. At the moment though he's getting some benefit I think that helps cover it and also mum gets a benefit for having dementia. Her pension is a very small one, not sure how much but don't think it will go far.
When she goes to a home, am I right in thinking that all her benefits stop anyway as the home is being paid for instead? And that dad would be left to pay the top up? None of us could afford to pay nearly £800 a month even between us.

Just wondered what to expect before we get to tuesday? I have no idea how any of this works. Its rubbish enough without worrying about money but the thought of having to move her somewhere else is pretty unbearable. She seems so well cared for where she is.

thanks in advance
jackmac

 

[kingmidas1962]

I'm afraid I cant help you with the financial side of things as my parents circumstances were different.

However, my dad went in for respite which became permanent and although his home is NOT a specialist dementia care home they decided that he could remain with them, given that they can manage his care and he settled. This has been such a relief as chopping and changing dementia patients around is unsettling for them, as is any change. The decision as to him remaining where he is was taken by the care home manager, so might it be possible for you to speak to him/her maybe and say what you are expecting, and ask if your mum could stay?

Let us know how you get on - I'm sure someone will be along to advise about finances.

xxx

 

[Dazmum]

I said I couldn't pay the top up for my mum, I was advised here not to. The bulk of mum's home is paid by social services with a contribution from mum's pension, but the home agreed that we did not need to pay the top-up. Others will be along to advise you. Social services gave us a really helpful booklet on how all the costs are worked out, so I'm sure they will provide this for you too. AgeUK also have a leaflet to download which might help.

I do hope that your mum can stay where she is x

 

[BeckyJan]

If you need to argue at all you could say this Home is in the best interests of your Mother, on the reasons being that is accessible for her husband and presumably for friends and neighbours to visit regularly. Unless SS can find another Home that still meets all her requirements and costs less, you can insist on your favoured Home at their expense.

This factsheet may enlighten you on Who Pays for Care.

Let us know how you get along. Good luck and best wishes

 

[paul97]

As far as benefits are concerned you say that your mam has a small pension, if this is her state pension I'm sure she keeps this but would be calculated in any finacial assessment, also if she has Attendance Allowance (for people over 65) and when she pays for her own care she will keep this benefit, she may also qualify for Pension Credit, (call free on 0800 991234) If she keeps her AA & qualifies for PC she will be entitled to the Severe Disability Premium of around £58.

 

[Margaret W]

I would be very careful.

I am assuming your mum is not going to be self-funding.The top-up that your dad pays is cos the cost of the home is more than the Local Authority are willing to pay. £185 a week may be manageable for a few weeks, but unlikely to be so for ten years.

If your mum goes into a home permanently, and is not self-funding, her entitlement to Attendance Allowance ceases. This sum is not inconsiderable and will be contributing greatly to the top up that your dad is paying, but once the place is permanent AA is stopped, so your dad might have to have a complete rethink.

True, some care homes use their discretion and keep on residents that they like, for no more than the Local Authority rate, but £185 a week is a big difference and I can't imagine this care home will reduce their fees so much. But try them first, it is worth it.

The alternative is to pick a care home with much lower fees. That doesn't mean the care home won't still meet your mum's needs.

Do be careful with top-ups. Even £20 a week is £10,000 a year, and if she lives for 10 years, that's £100,000 even not allowing at all for inflation. Care Home fees tend to rise much faster than inflation, so that sum will soon become £12,000 a year, £15,000 a year and so on.

Its'a bloomin awful situation, so start looking for cheaper homes now before you make any decisions.

Love

Magaret

 

[JackMac]

gosh, thats a lot to think about.
And when you put it like that, how much it will cost over many years, it's quite shocking.
we will indeed be very careful!

really wish we could keep her where she is, it's so lovely I know there may be other places out there but this would be our first choice.

jackmac

 

[ITBookworm]

Being in Scotland I can't be sure about this but I though I had read before that the charges for respite care can vary from the charge for residential care - regardless of any top-up arrangement.

It might be worth phoning the home and asking what their rate is and then phoning the council and asking them how much the council will normally pay. The other thing to bear in mind is that if Mum has any savings in her name (or half of anything in joint names) >~£23250 then those would be taken in to account as well. Since Dad will obviously be staying at home that is totally ignored.

You still shouldn't pay a top-up though for all the reasons mentioned above.

 

[JackMac]

thank you. She doesn't have much savings I think.

I will probably go and see her tomorrow so I will ask what their fees are and then speak to social services.

thanks again
jackmac

 

[angelmarbella]

.

Do be careful with top-ups. Even £20 a week is £10,000 a year, and if she lives for 10 years, that's £100,000 even not allowing at all for inflation. Care Home fees tend to rise much faster than inflation, so that sum will soon become £12,000 a year, £15,000 a year and so on

Hi Margaret

Sorry to barge in and sorry I can't help on this thread as my mother is in a different financial situation.

I think you may have made a slight error (or not so slight) in your calculations. Surely, £20/week top up is just over £1000 extra per year and not £10,000. Sorry if I have misunderstood in which case I will accept a slapped wrist!

 

[wobbly]

Jackmac, it maybe that the top up was for the respite care itself? My Mum had to pay so much per day for Dad to be in for two weeks respite and then care became permanent. The place dad is in is fully LA funded, all he gets is £23.50 per week, we told that the home after Christmas would involve a top up as fees were going up, it's a new place and not full yet etc, because he went in before Christmas they said they'd waiver the top up. So there isn't any now. I think a lot obviously depends on the home etc. we were told that any top up due has to be paid for by a third party ie not Dad and we asked what happens when nobody can afford it? we were told that if they could find a cheaper place for him that met his needs etc then it would be recommended he went there but if there weren't any places then SS/LA would meet the cost. Again we were told not to sign anything to do with top ups without taking advice first. AS someone has said surely the best place to meet his needs is the very local one so that Mum and Dad can be together as needed during the day etc....he will have started to settle there and a move might well be detrimental....
Please keep in touch, my Dad has settled so well and we were 100% convinced he wouldn't!! Mum and I went to a residents and relatives meeting the other day and Dadtold me he'd be there till the day he dies, in a very contended way! I honestly think he sometimes panic when we turn up as he thinks we are going to take him home!! Two weeks ago he said " now you're here there's something I want to ask....shall I just carryon here, I love it, or do you want me to come home, cause I can come home if you want......" We can't quite believe it so long may it last!!

 

[Margaret W]

Well what a wally I am. I meant to say £200 a week, which is £10,000 a year. I got carried away with the fact that it is a lot-a-lolly.

Sorry to scare everyone overmuch.

 

[JackMac]

thanks for the advice.

We have met with mum's CPN but she isn't that up on fees etc. but I think she will help us fight to keep mum in this home.
She said they will look at continuing healthcare funding too but I won't hold my breath on that one! On the other hand I wouldn't mind taking on the system over it as mum clearly has a medical, not social problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes I have signed the petition..........

thanks again
jackmac