Care home self funded to funded

Wendy3040

Registered User
Jul 12, 2015
5
0
We have finally made the decision that my mother in law will be better being looked after in a care home. She has had four years at home self funding herself with carers twice a day. MIL has no other visitors other than myself and husband and never leaves her home. We have tried various means of engaging her in social activities but she always refuses at the last minute. Strictly speaking she could carry on like this if her condition stays the same, dementia and limited mobility, but for all our sakes the decision to move to a care home has been made. We have finally found a suitable care home which at £750 is in fact the cheapest is our small SE town. My worry is that her savings with her income,after all debts have been paid off, will only last her just over a year privately funded. What happens then? The care home said she would have a financial assessment and family would be asked for a top up. This would be about £200 per week. Is that correct? I’m not sure we could do that. My second concern is that if MIL goes by her own and our choice into a care home when her money gets down to £23250 and she asks for funding could the LA then turn round and say she doesn’t need to be in a care home and refuse funding. I wondered if we should get an assessment from LA before she goes into the care home but worry that they would say her needs could be met at home. I would appreciate any advice please.
 

Rosettastone57

Registered User
Oct 27, 2016
1,852
0
We have finally made the decision that my mother in law will be better being looked after in a care home. She has had four years at home self funding herself with carers twice a day. MIL has no other visitors other than myself and husband and never leaves her home. We have tried various means of engaging her in social activities but she always refuses at the last minute. Strictly speaking she could carry on like this if her condition stays the same, dementia and limited mobility, but for all our sakes the decision to move to a care home has been made. We have finally found a suitable care home which at £750 is in fact the cheapest is our small SE town. My worry is that her savings with her income,after all debts have been paid off, will only last her just over a year privately funded. What happens then? The care home said she would have a financial assessment and family would be asked for a top up. This would be about £200 per week. Is that correct? I’m not sure we could do that. My second concern is that if MIL goes by her own and our choice into a care home when her money gets down to £23250 and she asks for funding could the LA then turn round and say she doesn’t need to be in a care home and refuse funding. I wondered if we should get an assessment from LA before she goes into the care home but worry that they would say her needs could be met at home. I would appreciate any advice please.
Others will be along with better suggestions than me but this situation sounds like that of my MIL who went into a care home . You don't say if she owns her home? With my MIL we had to show she had potentially 2 years worth of funding before any home would consider her . She had a year's worth of savings then we would have had to sell her house. We never involved social services so no experience of this.
 

Sirena

Registered User
Feb 27, 2018
2,326
0
If the care home you have chosen does not accept LA funded clients then in order for her to stay there you would be asked for a top up because the LA pays a very meagre weekly allowance. You are not obliged to pay a top up at all, but if you didn't it would mean she would need to move to a care home which accepts LA funded residents without the need for a top up (i.e. a care home which has lower fees

My mother moved to a care home earlier this year. Unlike @Rosettastone57 we were not asked to prove my mother had funds - the manager asked, I told them about 3 years and she took my word for it (actually it's about 4 years as I'd done the sums wrong). I am hoping the CH will accept her as an LA funded client at the end of that time but there are no guarantees. I cannot pay a top up so if not she'd have to move wherever the LA chose.

My mother had care at home for 18 months but she deteriorated and was wandering and at risk of falls so I made the decision that she was not safe at home. She did have two previous SS assessment but I didn't see them for dust when they found out she could self fund, so I didn't involve them in the CH decision so have no idea what they would have decided. You may be right that if you do ask for an assessment SS may say her needs can be met at at home, they tend to select the 'least restrictive option'. Plus they will ask if she wants to stay at home and if she says yes and is deemed to have capacity, that will be that. So it's a difficult decision.
 
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