CARE HOME FEES WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE £23,500 LEFT OF CAPITAL

[ChrissieM]

I`m asking this question in advance. When there is only £23,500 of Mum`s capital left (house sold, savings gone) and hopefully the State then step in to cover the costs of care; who then pays the costs of Mum`s personal costs in the care home eg chiropodist; hair dressers etc. Will my brother and I pay it out of the exempt amount of £23,500 and when that`s gone would we pay these costs from our own personal income?

 

[richwig]

From my experience you will retain £24.90 of your mums weekly pension and this is to be used for the things you mentioned. Any extra costs like taxis for appointments will also have to be paid for by yourselves.

 

[ChrissieM]

From my experience you will retain £24.90 of your mums weekly pension and this is to be used for the things you mentioned. Any extra costs like taxis for appointments will also have to be paid for by yourselves.

Thanks - that`s reasurring

 

[Moggymad]

Yes that's correct. However we also had to dip in to the capitol at times to cover other expenses like clothes, slippers & wheelchair taxis to get to podiatry appointments. The hairdresser was a staff member who trimmed hair at low cost. Also at first we were having to provide pull-ups which worked out far more expensive that the personal allowance. The home eventually got pads supplied by continence service but we still provided pull-ups for times when we needed to take her out.
It wasn't queried each year when the finances were reassessed but I kept the receipts just in case.

 

[jaymor]

@ChrissieM When the £23,500 is reached only a portion of the fees will be paid by the LA until the assets reach the lower level of £14,000. Then your Mum‘s pension(s) will be taken leaving approx £25.00 to cover personal needs. If receiving Attendance Allowance, that will stop too.

 

[ChrissieM]

Thanks all for the info. I think there should (hopefully) be enough money left to cover Mum`s funeral expenses when the time comes. I take comfort from the fact she is in a good care home and if the state was funding her care, goodness knows where she could have ended up

 

[Bunpoots]

Hi @ChrissieM . I believe a pre-pain funeral plan is an acceptable use of your mum’s money and wouldn’t be considered deprivation of assets. It’s worth looking into.

 

[ChrissieM]

Hi @ChrissieM . I believe a pre-pain funeral plan is an acceptable use of your mum’s money and wouldn’t be considered deprivation of assets. It’s worth looking into.

Thanks for the advice Bunpoots and I will pursue accordingly

 

[northumbrian_k]

Hi @ChrissieM

My wife's assets fell below the £23,250 threshold at the end of December 2020. Before that she was self-funding her residential care. The LA financial assessment looked at her income - state pension and occupational pension - and savings. Her contribution was calculated on that basis but half of her occupational pension (deemed to have been donated to me) was disregarded as was the statutory weekly personal allowance of £24.90 and savings credit of £5.75. Attendance Allowance ceased to be payable after 4 weeks.

The net result was a large reduction in her weekly contribution, with something left over to cover personal and other incidental expenses.

 

[ChrissieM]

Hi @ChrissieM

My wife's assets fell below the £23,250 threshold at the end of December 2020. Before that she was self-funding her residential care. The LA financial assessment looked at her income - state pension and occupational pension - and savings. Her contribution was calculated on that basis but half of her occupational pension (deemed to have been donated to me) was disregarded as was the statutory weekly personal allowance of £24.90 and savings credit of £5.75. Attendance Allowance ceased to be payable after 4 weeks.

The net result was a large reduction in her weekly contribution, with something left over to cover personal and other incidental expenses.

Many thanks for the information - very useful

 

[SueBo]

This is another question I'm afraid. How are joint accounts considered when paying for care home fees please?

 

[thistlejak]

Joint accounts are deemed 50:50 split. When you are getting to the stage of financial assessments and care home fees it is worth splitting money into individual accounts. Make life much easier going forwards.

 

[imthedaughter]

I buy dad stuff which isn't really a good birthday or christmas present out of what is left of his savings - I send his personal allowance of £24.90 to the home for his pads (currently being assessed), hairdressers and whatever else he may need to buy. I took financial advice and bought him a pre-paid funeral in line with his wishes pre-dementia. I send him bits to amuse him and clothes for gifts etc and he hasn't run out of cash so far.