Social care funding

[Salamander]

My mum has be paying £1000 a week from her life savings for the past 12 months, fully self funded for social care in a residential home as she is incontinent, with advanced dementia. Despite searching the web, I can't find specifics on the cap/won't need to sell the family home so as the money continues to dwindle to a dangerously low level; still as a family we are left not knowing if the local authority will contribute, having been rejected before as her needs were met considered bad enough. It makes me so angry that this disease is not recognised as a medical condition. Even if a cap is introduced, I don't suppose any account will be made of retrospective payments.

 

[canary]

Social care is, IMO, a nettle that no-one wants to grasp.
It has been constantly kicked down the road and I rather expect that this government will do the same.

The Local Authority will start to contribute towards a care home once assets go down to £24, 000. That has not changed.

 

[Rosettastone57]

Social care is, IMO, a nettle that no-one wants to grasp.
It has been constantly kicked down the road and I rather expect that this government will do the same.

The Local Authority will start to contribute towards a care home once assets go down to £24, 000. That has not changed.

I'm afraid that I agree. There's supposed to be cross party talks coming up on this, but don't hold your breath. My mother-in-law paid £1350 a week last year. The current government says no one should lose their home, but it's got to be paid for somehow.

 

[Cazzita]

Exactly. What are the governent going to do to make sure we don't have to sell? They are ominously quiet on the issue of social care. It all disgusts me

 

[Cazzita]

My mum has be paying £1000 a week from her life savings for the past 12 months, fully self funded for social care in a residential home as she is incontinent, with advanced dementia. Despite searching the web, I can't find specifics on the cap/won't need to sell the family home so as the money continues to dwindle to a dangerously low level; still as a family we are left not knowing if the local authority will contribute, having been rejected before as her needs were met considered bad enough. It makes me so angry that this disease is not recognised as a medical condition. Even if a cap is introduced, I don't suppose any account will be made of retrospective payments.

So sorry to hear that your mother has paid so much out - it;s just awful and dementia HAS to be recognised as an illness, it's so unjust. Makes me mad as hell!

 

[Jaded'n'faded]

Currently there is no cap on the maximum a person can pay for care. TM tried to bring in such a cap but it was slated as being a 'dementia tax'. In fact, it would have saved many of us a lot of money.

If people won't have to sell their houses, how would that work for anyone who doesn't have a house? What if you have money in savings but stay in rented property? Would you be penalised and have to spend all yur savings on care because it's not tied up in a property? Without some sort of cap - or an increase in the amount of savings you can have left before SS start to step in - it isn't even the start of a new system, just a random statement from someone who clearly doesn't understand how funding works. He hasn't thought it through, has he?

If the idea of keeping your house is set in stone, I could put all my pennies into my house, spend any savings and just relax knowing SS would pay for any care I need, even if my house was worth millions. (It isn't!)

The care costs for my mum (died in October) came to more than £150,000. Subsequently, that's 150 grand that isn't going to be coming my way! Am I bitter? Well, I do think that those who can pay should pay, or at least contribute. But under the current system, mum wasn't only paying for her own care. She paid more than £200 per week more than the woman in the identical room next door who was council funded, so was effectively subsidizing her care too because the council don't pay enough. That part makes me very angry.

 

[Duggies-girl]

I agree with that @Jaded'n'faded Dad can afford to pay for his care and he would be in a care home by now if they hadn't said he was dying of cancer.

I would be happy for him to pay for his own care but not for somebody else just because the LA won't pay the going rate.

I don't think anything will change soon, it is too much of a problem that is only going to get bigger as people live longer. I don't think that there is an answer.

 

[Salamander]

In my opinion, the whole rotten saga of dementia being classed as a lesser illness to other health conditions is disgraceful. It is a mental health disability that has been allowed to slip into a grey area of categorisation and oblivion nobody takes seriously enough to do anything about. Every single politician ever to have spoken about the necessity of improving social care provision should hang their head in shame for not listening, not taking a genuine interest to commit to improving the situation. People having to use their own savings to pay for care is simply wrong and an injustice. The health service is already in the process of being privatised; paying for your own care is an clear example of this. I wrote to Matt Hancock before the GE telling him what I thought, let's see what the government do in their first 100 days. This is a situation affecting thousands of families, for too long it has remained under the radar as a Pandora's box....it must be fixed as a human rights service provision delivered by the NHS, and as a profession requiring overhaul and commensurate remuneration and recognition.

 

[Splashing About]

The big problem with social care is ...if all care is funded...who decides who is entitled to it? Is it age based, need based or based on a diagnosis? Dementia crosses age groups and is often undiagnosed because of a lack of cooperation so that’s not going to work. It isn’t just dementia which causes people to need care and people with dementia don’t all need care... Basing it on need is the fairest in my view but the current NHS CHC assessment is utterly ridiculous and looks only on whether a nurse is needed to provide care not whether it’s healthy, safe or morally acceptable to expect individuals (often older) to provide 24/7 care for challenging behaviour, incontinence, personal care and suffer isolation and lack of sleep unsupported

 

[Elsatyson]

Hi my mum is a nh with dementia she has not got her own house she lives with me for 4 years she has no savings adult social care paid so much if her fees but out of my mums £167 a week pension she had to pay £142 a week top up so it total up to £537 a week now the nhs has funded mum because of the way she is with her dementia personal care nasty behaviour yet they pay £923 a week and she is in the same home and same room. I think it’s wrong that people work all there life then when they need care they have to sell there house and use there savings to pay for it it should all be funded. Xx

 

[Alzheimer's Society]

Whilst we allow general views about policies on Dementia Talking Point, we don't allow comments about individual politicians and parties as this can often lead to nonconstructive and unpleasant discussions. Please bear this in mind when posting on this thread.

You can read more about our rules around political discussions on Dementia Talking Point here: https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/political-discussions-and-dementia-talking-point.80309/

Thank you

 

[Cazzita]

I am having emil conversations with my local MP and the council. What has absolutely flabbergasted me is that I was unaware of a whole list of items that I could claim for once mum was over her expected spending limit for her care. When the financial assessment was taking place over the phone, I asked about mum's outgoings and they said that they did not count - only the council tax did - and did not want to know anything - unbelievable! Yet the same council are now telling me - over a year later - that I could have claimed for other things! They keep us in the dark and wonder why we are so damn irate about receiving no help...
Apart from that, they have mistakenly awarded my mum a sum of money - 4.5k - and now expect it all back! You could not make it up, you really couldn't

 

[Agzy]

In my opinion, the whole rotten saga of dementia being classed as a lesser illness to other health conditions is disgraceful. It is a mental health disability that has been allowed to slip into a grey area of categorisation and oblivion nobody takes seriously enough to do anything about. Every single politician ever to have spoken about the necessity of improving social care provision should hang their head in shame for not listening, not taking a genuine interest to commit to improving the situation. People having to use their own savings to pay for care is simply wrong and an injustice. The health service is already in the process of being privatised; paying for your own care is an clear example of this. I wrote to Matt Hancock before the GE telling him what I thought, let's see what the government do in their first 100 days. This is a situation affecting thousands of families, for too long it has remained under the radar as a Pandora's box....it must be fixed as a human rights service provision delivered by the NHS, and as a profession requiring overhaul and commensurate remuneration and recognition.

Best summary I have read yet and agree wholeheartedly. My OH is so determined to keep her dignity regarding personal needs care that she desperately wants to move onto an assisted living apartment/flat but can’ understand that we just cant afford it as she still believes all is free on the NHS.

 

[Alzheimer's Society]

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