How to pay for Care Home?

[Pollywobble]

My husband went into a Care Home just over 2 weeks ago. I borrowed the 4 weeks in advance money and now am wondering how to pay the next bill. I have Power of Attorney for Finance, but have just received a letter from the solicitor saying it takes 6-8 weeks to sort. How do I pay in the meantime? Also how do I get the deposit money from his account to repay the loan? Our savings are all in his name.

 

[Kevinl]

Surely if money is that tight so under the savings limit then he should get funded by the Local Authority.
If he has money over that and you need to access it then care homestead to be quite understanding.
Personally I'd get some face to face advice from your local AZ Society of Citizens Advice Bureau, it could get complicated, in the meantime agree to everything but sign nothing. K

 

[Pollywobble]

Hi @Kevinl , thanks for your reply. We are self funding, but I can't access our savings that will pay for his care. I was so relieved to get him a suitable place, that I borrowed the money. I've followed your advice and signed nothing! Social Services asked how much my man had in his account and then left me to it. I'll ring advice tomorrow.

 

[SAP]

If you have the LPA in place then all you need to do is make an appointment with the banks or building societies where the accounts are held so that they can register this on their system. Then you can use his money to pay for his care. Not really sure what the solicitor is talking about.

 

[Kevinl]

Does it reall take 6 to 8 weeks to activate a PoA, surely the home will know this and work with you.
I know there is an activation period, drawing one up and activating it don't have to happen at the same time. Talk to the care home, probably something that happens quite regularly, resident has the funds PoA,need time to access them, see what they say, stay inside with them. K

 

[nitram]

I have Power of Attorney for Finance,

Is it registered with the OPG?

Our savings are all in his name.

This wants sorting out with a sole account in each of your names else it all becomes available for his care.
How much of your income/ pensions/ inherited funds etc can you prove?

 

[maggie6445]

If you have the LPA in place then all you need to do is make an appointment with the banks or building societies where the accounts are held so that they can register this on their system. Then you can use his money to pay for his care. Not really sure what the solicitor is talking about.

Exactly what I was thinking.. most banks and building societies take the LPA code now so the process is even quicker than it was. . Even the DWP take the code now,, used it myself today with them.

 

[Kevinl]

But it has to be a registered/active PoA surely, making one and activating it are two different things/dates.
I could make an LPA tomorrow, appoint someone but until it's activated they don't have unlimited access to anything, it can be activated if there is proof I lacked capacity, but until that happens it's just a back-up plan for when it actually happens and I'm medically defined as lacking capacity, until then I'm in the driver's seat unless qualified people say otherwise. K

 

[SAP]

The financial LPA can be activated at registration with no need to prove capacity

 

[maggie6445]

But it has to be a registered/active PoA surely, making one and activating it are two different things/dates.
I could make an LPA tomorrow, appoint someone but until it's activated they don't have unlimited access to anything, it can be activated if there is proof I lacked capacity, but until that happens it's just a back-up plan for when it actually happens and I'm medically defined as lacking capacity, until then I'm in the driver's seat unless qualified people say otherwise. K

Yes you are right that the LPAs need registering at the OPG but once they are ,they are ready to use when necessary. LPA for finance ,depending on the boxes ticked ,can be used with permission before capacity is lost. My OH kept forgetting his pin so I used his finance one as soon as it was registered.
The health LPA only becomes effective once capacity is lost ,although I registered it at Drs and no formal capacity test had been done. Dr always deals only with me now, obviously OH is with me for his health consultation. phone calls with results are with me.

 

[northumbrian_k]

I am not sure where the 6-8 weeks comes in. To 'have' Power of Attorney one must have registered the properly signed and witnessed document with OPG. Just doing the paperwork without sending to OPG is a bit like filling in a job application without submitting it ie pointless.

Assuming that it has been registered the Finance & Property LPA then needs to be registered with the Donor's bank (and other financial institutions) so that the Attorney can take over banking functions: online, in person and by telephone. Any bills for care can then be paid by bank transfer or direct debit, whichever is preferred.

 

[Cinnamon009]

Depending on who your bank is with I would phone them and ask to speak to their LPA team. I had a registered LPA for Dad and phoned Lloyds Bank who asked for the ref I created on the LPA account and whether he still had capacity or not. As he still had capacity they gave me access to the account but did not remove his access. i was able to pay all bills etc though the online banking as if I was him. It took about a week to sort out the online banking access but certainly not 6-8 weeks.

 

[Pollywobble]

Thank you all for your replies. I have an appointment with Social Services and will make one with the bank. I really appreciate all your comments.

 

[Pollywobble]

UPDATE
At the meeting with Social Services I found out that I should NOT have had to pay in the first place! It's unfortunate that I was misinformed, but now they are paying and I don't have to worry. Phew! Thank you all for the support.

 

[SAP]

@Pollywobble , that’s good news. It’s always worth questioning this stuff, mistakes happen all too easily. However your life would have been a bit more straight forwards if they got it right in the first place!