Care home.

[JohnBG]

After a challenging year my s/mother has gone into care for one week, I am disabled so my own functions are restricted plus limited. One care home wanted £890 a week !!!!!!!! an associate is a CQC assessor I had a chat with him very interesting.

My mother has declined now, loss of words who I am ect, the MH support worker has been excellent, that dementia has stopped her eating plus drinking adequately with some weight loss. I am more at ease with my POA role, in reality the best place for her is in care not a rambling house alone plus isolated. Alz is only part of who she is, sweet lady of 91 so take care all look after yourself she is peaceful most of the time and not in pain big ((hugs)).

John.

 

[Spamar]

Morning John,
When OH first went in for respite, it was that price, but this was nearly three years ago! So I think that's cheap! There are many areas where a carehome is over £1300.

 

[love.dad.but..]

Yes Dad's weekly care home fee was £1300 and pretty much the going rate in this area for self funders. And no, it wasn't because I wanted an expensive one because it would give better decor etc, kind caring safe and looked after were my criteria, just that we seem to be in an expensive corner!

 

[Oh Knickers]

Hi John,

Facing the costs of care is a minefield.

I have done a lot of research in Essex for mother. The one I initially liked - nice accommodation, seemingly a lot of activities, mother's type started at £52K per year. So that is £1k a week. However, after a failed CQC and a change of manager, it leapt to just short of £1.5K a week. Mother does not thave the means for either level.

So back to the drawing board and a lot of research. I have now found smaller Care provision homes with much more reasonable charges. One is under £700 a week. It sounds good. It is a case of doing a visit to check. Sadly, I am feeling a very 'sad' person doing this, I have looked at around 40-50 home online from the list the Council provided. Not personally, I hasten to add, but online. Then followed a phone call with a few I thought might be suitable. It has whittled it down to 3 I will consider visiting. They do Bingo, which will elicit a sneer from mother, but hopefully enough positive for her to consider. She is on a downward trajectory and if she can be steered clear of bingo the rest may be acceptable. Where she was 3 years ago when we moved her is very different to where she is today. 3 years ago mother had a lot of fight in her. Now she is a lost soul.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Princess t]

I am shocked...mom in care and its £470.... Thought that was expencive, her room is lovely, they take her out on day trips. Food and care excellent.

 

[Jessbow]

I am shocked...mom in care and its £470.... Thought that was expencive, her room is lovely, they take her out on day trips. Food and care excellent.

I am speechless.... Where in the UK is this- which county?

There will soon be housing crisis there- everyone that cares for a PWD will want to live there

 

[Princess t]

I am speechless.... Where in the UK is this- which county?

There will soon be housing crisis there- everyone that cares for a PWD will want to live there

Worcestershire!

 

[Linbrusco]

Here in New Zealand for over 65's our Ministry of Health caps Rest Home/Nursing Home/Dementia Care/Specialised Dementia Care depending on which city you live in/population/cost of living etc.

In Auckland here its $970 ( GBP 550) a week, this is regardless whether you are funded or not.
Obviously if you are self funding, you can choose a place that has a bigger room, ensuite etc.
The Ministry of Health pay an extra top up of about $250 a week to the Care Home, to cover Dementia Care & Hospital Care level, regardless if you are self paying or not.

The Dementia Care Home Mum is in would typically charge an extra $300 a week over above the $970 a week due to bigger room and en suite, but as Mum is not self funding and there are a shortage of dementia care homes and beds, they have gotten her in at zero cost.

 

[Lorna44]

£470!!!! £1150 in Surrey!!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Talking Point mobile app

 

[nitram]

"The one I initially liked - nice accommodation, seemingly a lot of activities, mother's type started at £52K per year. So that is £1k a week. However, after a failed CQC and a change of manager, it leapt to just short of £1.5K a week."


Food for thought????

 

[Hibni]

£470!!!! £1150 in Surrey!!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Talking Point mobile app

Glad we moved from Surrey to Worcestershire in the 90's! I haven't started to look at care homes yet, but may have to do so before too long.

 

[oilovlam]

I am shocked...mom in care and its £470.... Thought that was expencive, her room is lovely, they take her out on day trips. Food and care excellent.

£470 per week? They couldn't do it for £470 per month. In the south-east you would be living in a cardboard box behind Tesco for £470 per month.

Would it be unacceptable to move PWD from an expensive area of the country into a care home in a better value part of the UK? It would save an absolute fortune and mean they could self-fund for longer. In the south-east the money will be gone in a couple years.

 

[oilovlam]

Here in New Zealand for over 65's our Ministry of Health caps Rest Home/Nursing Home/Dementia Care/Specialised Dementia Care depending on which city you live in/population/cost of living etc.

In Auckland here its $970 ( GBP 550) a week, this is regardless whether you are funded or not.
Obviously if you are self funding, you can choose a place that has a bigger room, ensuite etc.
The Ministry of Health pay an extra top up of about $250 a week to the Care Home, to cover Dementia Care & Hospital Care level, regardless if you are self paying or not.

The Dementia Care Home Mum is in would typically charge an extra $300 a week over above the $970 a week due to bigger room and en suite, but as Mum is not self funding and there are a shortage of dementia care homes and beds, they have gotten her in at zero cost.

Initially I thought "Wow, that's £2383 per month. New Zealand is off my list of places for mum to go into care" but then I realised that £550 PW is actually quite cheap compare to the UK (apart from Worcestshire...of course). The South-East seems to be a minimum of £1000 PW.

The problem ahead for self-funders is that wage costs for care homes are increasing dramatically and I expect they have trouble getting/retaining staff (could be a lot worse after Brexit). So inflation busting increases in the fees are 'almost' inevitable. 7-10% yearly increase in the fees is going to be hard to bear....even for the very wealthy. Soon we'll be looking back and thinking "Wasn't it cheap in 2017 when we were only paying £1000 per week?" The system is broken but nobody wants to fix it.

 

[Pear trees]

In Berkshire and Hampshire the cheapest CH fees are £1000 a week most are £1300-1500 a week!

 

[Marnie63]

In Berkshire and Hampshire the cheapest CH fees are £1000 a week most are £1300-1500 a week!

I'm in North East Hants Pear trees - and you're quite right, although there are a few (only a few!) around here who are just under the £1,000 mark. There's one tucked away in a village not far from here which was £750 a couple of years ago. It was very, very sad. Of course that was just a first impression, the care could have been fabulous, but they did tell me that they weren't 'posh' a home and it was a flat fee for all. The home which has offered mum a place twice now quote £800-£900, but it depends on the room as it's an old, rambling house and the rooms vary so much. The eye watering one is in a village not far from Farnham, if you're around here you'll probably know which one. The facilities are amazing, but it starts, I think, from £1,400 (but that's for nursing). Strangely though, their day care centre is one of the cheapest in the area!

I just find it all so mind bogglingly out of sorts with reality. I fully understand that these places must cost a heap of money to set up and run, but the fact that the social care system does not support dementia more on a financial level is a disgrace.

 

[istherelight?]

My Mum's care home is just shy of £1,000 pw but that's due to increase from 1st April. If it's a 10% increase, that's another £5,000pa, just like that!

Whilst we are quite prepared to spend anything she has, I don't think it's right that she is subsidising non self-funded care. Plus, if we rented out her home to help pay for the fees, she cannot even offset the rental income against tax. So it's a double taxation really.


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[JayneB6367]

£470!!!! £1150 in Surrey!!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Talking Point mobile app

£1250 in Essex and I'm still 60 miles from Mum, London where I live was £1500 a week.

It keeps me awake at night worrying about what we will do when her money runs out, we have about 5 years worth but she is strong as an ox apart from her mind.

If my Mother knew her hard earned money was being spent on this she would be heartbroken....thank god she lives in la la land x

 

[Rageddy Anne]

£1000 or more p.w. in Gloucesteshire too, and at least one I know of, won't accept new residents unless family can prove they can fund for two years.

 

[lemonjuice]

The problem ahead for self-funders is that wage costs for care homes are increasing dramatically and I expect they have trouble getting/retaining staff (could be a lot worse after Brexit). So inflation busting increases in the fees are 'almost' inevitable. 7-10% yearly increase in the fees is going to be hard to bear....even for the very wealthy. Soon we'll be looking back and thinking "Wasn't it cheap in 2017 when we were only paying £1000 per week?" The system is broken but nobody wants to fix it.

Therein lies the nub. When our time comes, because few people will 'inherit' wealth from their parents, because it went in NH fees,there simply won't be enough self-funders to keep the Homes going.

£1000 or more p.w. in Gloucesteshire too, and at least one I know of, won't accept new residents unless family can prove they can fund for two years.

Things is many Dementia sufferers last much much longer in Homes. I've worked out that the difference in fees from when my mother entered her NH 5 years ago, with this April's increase. will make a 60% increase over the 5 years!
She was quoted £180 000 5 years ago for an annuity, which we could just about have raised from the sale of her house, but at the time I thought that seemed to be an awful lot of money to lose if she died fairly soon,it being non-refundable, so I decided against it. Yet we have indeed already come to that amount and as my mother has 'plateaued' in end-stage could still be looking at years yet.

 

[JohnBG]

Great points !

Thx to everyone who is contributing some great info here...It gives plenty to ponder
In the future.

Thank you all.

John.