Sorry, daft question....!

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Hi all :)

I am currently looking for a residential placement for mum and no-one in authority is willing to talk actual money with me, so far. I know thay can't commit to anything before mum has a full care needs assessment, for which we are on the waiting list, but an unwary duty officer told me last week that our local authority rate for residential care is £473 per week.

Obviously no care home will accept that miserly amount, not here in the south, at least...

What are your views, TP'ers ?? Would you agree with me that this is likely to be their maximum contribution, and that mum's income would be on top of that (less AA which would be stopped?) She is now under threshold but does have an okay-ish pension and is on no other state benefits.

So if a home charges, say, £800 a week (the going rate), we might pay this as follows, all figures approximate:

LA contribution £473
Mum's pensions £200
Less £24 personal allowance

TOTAL £650

Top up £150 per week or £600 per month. (We'd hope to negotiate this down a bit).

Does this sound right to you? I can't stop thinking about it, and it's driving me nuts getting no answers from the LA :mad:

As I say, daft question, but thanks for reading :)

Lindy xx
 

Bod

Registered User
Aug 30, 2013
1,958
0
I fear that until the assessment is done, nothing will be forthcoming.
Can you afford £150-200 per week?
Remember you are not obliged to make any contribution.
As I understand the situation, a care needs assessment is done, to find out what is required, and therefore the cost.
Then a financial assessment is done, to see how much the person can contribute, then the local authority will make up the rest.
Only if you insist on having something better than the LA think is necessary, do you contribute.

Bod
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Thanks Bod :)

I realise that nothing will actually be done before the care needs assessment is completed. It's very frustrating because we had a SW visit in March ( which they initiated) allegedly to start planning in advance of threshold being reached. It was never written up as an assessment though, and in any case mum's abilities have changed since then. So a complete waste of time....

What I'm after is an approximate idea of the LA contribution amount.....until I have this, I am completely shooting in the dark when looking at homes. And I really don't want to set my heart on something mum can't afford.

I have no reason to suppose mum wouldn't fit into standard banding levels and you're right, we shouldn't / couldn't commit ourselves to £600 per month. We would end up bankrupt!!!!:eek:

I have to speak to someone in the LA and thinking I'll really make a fuss tomorrow! :mad:

Thanks again.

Lindy xx
 

Onlyme

Registered User
Apr 5, 2010
4,992
0
UK
Lindy, does your Mum qualify for nursing care? That adds about £120 to the kitty.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Lindy, does your Mum qualify for nursing care? That adds about £120 to the kitty.

Hi Onlyme :)

I don't think so, no. She doesn't have regular DN care at home and her main 'condition' is dementia.

Worth bearing in mind, though, thanks xx
 

daisydi

Registered User
Feb 25, 2015
255
0
Norfolk
Those figures sound about right, roughly the same as my mums but the only difference is that her care home is so much cheaper! We do pay a top up but not as much as that!
 

Onlyme

Registered User
Apr 5, 2010
4,992
0
UK
Where would you be placing her? If she needs medication I am not sure if a standard care home can issue medication. I seem to remember reading that on someone's post but it may have changed.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Where would you be placing her? If she needs medication I am not sure if a standard care home can issue medication. I seem to remember reading that on someone's post but it may have changed.

Surely most people in need of care take some kind of medication?

I know it used to be an issue that care workers couldn't , for example, give insulin, so if this was needed, a nursing home was the only realistic option, though this may have changed.

I was thinking of a plain and simple care home for mum. She takes meds for blood pressure, that kind of thing ....

Thanks again :)

Lindy xx
 

Not so Rosy

Registered User
Nov 30, 2013
578
0
I must admit I have still to get my head around the whole LA funding thing.

I thought if the LA rate is £473 a week, first they take the pension of £200 a week minus the personal allowance then they pay the remaining amount, making the total £473.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
I must admit I have still to get my head around the whole LA funding thing.

I thought if the LA rate is £473 a week, first they take the pension of £200 a week minus the personal allowance then they pay the remaining amount, making the total £473.

That's what I thought at first.....then I looked at the charges made by care homes in this area, and they average £800 - £850 a week :eek:

I know those are probably the private rates, and the LA will have a negotiated rate which is less than that......but half ?!? :confused:

I really need to hang on the phone tomorrow until I get some answers :(

By the way this is not a random thing, mum was at A & E on Saturday after her second fall in two weeks, hospital refused to admit her, gave me a 'discharge from A & E' letter stating 'daughter to arrange residential care!!' :rolleyes:

Lindy xx
 

daisydi

Registered User
Feb 25, 2015
255
0
Norfolk
As far as I understand it 473 is the maximum they will pay towards the care. Say the care home is 500 there is a shortfall of 27 which is the top up amount payable by a third party. The LA then take all my mums pension back and a bit more in our case, depending on the financial assessment so they are not actually paying 473 a week once they are reimbursed with her pension. Say the pension is 200 a week the LA are then only contributing 273. Think that's right.
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,081
0
Bury
If the LA assess your mum as needing residential care and your mum's assets are below £23250 they have to find and fund a placement.

Your mum only has to contribute her pensions (assuming no spouse in case of non state pensions) and benefits and also a tariff of £1/Wk for each £250 or part thereof of capital between £23250 and £14250 less a Personal Expenses Allowance of £24.90/Wk

No top up should be paid unless the resident or their representative insists on a different placement or extras such as bigger room or garden/sea view.
 
Last edited:

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
If the LA assess your mum as needing residential care and your mum's assets are below £23250 they have to find and fund a placement.

Your mum only has to contribute her pensions (assuming no spouse in case of non state pensions) and benefits and also a tariff of £1/Wk for each £250 or part thereof of capital between £23250 and £14250 less a Personal Expenses Allowance of £24.90/Wk

No top up should be paid unless the resident or their representative insists on a different placement or extras in the way of bigger room or garden/sea view.

Thanks nitram :)

I guess I'm really asking.....what do care homes that accept LA funding charge in other areas? That's really my question, I think :cool: x
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Okay, stop all!!

I need to

A) speak to adult social care about local rates

B) nag and nag again to get the care needs assessment done...after all they may not agree that she needs residential care!

Many thanks everyone :)

Lindy xx
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,081
0
Bury
"I guess I'm really asking.....what do care homes that accept LA funding charge in other areas? That's really my question, I think"

The answer is that self funders pay something like 50% to 100% more.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
"I guess I'm really asking.....what do care homes that accept LA funding charge in other areas? That's really my question, I think"

The answer is that self funders pay something like 50% to 100% more.

Indeed nitram, I guess it's hard to believe that the disparity is so great :eek:
 

tfram

Registered User
Jun 23, 2015
1
0
Helpful Resource

Hi Lindy,

When my family was looking for assisted living for my grandmother we used Caring.com. They have really helpful family advisors who can discuss these kinds of things with you. Hope this helps.
 

Lindy50

Registered User
Dec 11, 2013
5,242
0
Cotswolds
Hi Lindy,

When my family was looking for assisted living for my grandmother we used Caring.com. They have really helpful family advisors who can discuss these kinds of things with you. Hope this helps.

Thanks tfram. And welcome to TP :)

Lindy xx
 

Maldives13

Registered User
Feb 4, 2014
164
0
Hi lindy50.
Mum has been in a care home now for 6 weeks and eventually I have just had her assessment through. So her attendance allowance has now stopped. She has a pension and a private pension so social services leave her with £30 a week ( she gets extra as she has a small amount of savings). She is therefore paying the home approx £165 a week. Social services make this up to £518 a week ( the rate for a dementia patient). Her total fees for the home are £800 so I have applied to the civil service ( she used to work for them) and to SSAFA ( she was a wren in the war) to see if they will help with the top up fees. Otherwise my brother and I are going to pay them. ( we own the house she was living in so will sell it).
Hope that helps?. Good luck - it takes forever to get sorted never mind the emotional stuff going on when they go into a care home.
All the best
 

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