Once you get down to about £25, 000 (I cant remember the exact amount) SS will assess the situation and will start paying towards the fees. Once you are down to about £14,000 the LA will be paying their maximum amount.What happens if you self fund care home fees for a period of time, and then the savings are gone and self funding is no longer possible?
Oh, it's much worse than that! Some homes take both self-funded and council-funded residents, but guess what? The self-funded people pay more. Where my mum was, they took both and she was paying more than £200 per week more than the council-funded resident in the identical room next door. I'm told that this is because the rate paid by the council is not enough so the home charges extra to self-funded residents to subsidise the cost of the council funded ones.Thanks for the replies, so basically they bleed you dry, then the person you've spent years caring for, making sure they were in a nice care place, could end up getting turfed out to a LA one. What a disgusting system.
Oh, it's much worse than that! Some homes take both self-funded and council-funded residents, but guess what? The self-funded people pay more. Where my mum was, they took both and she was paying more than £200 per week more than the council-funded resident in the identical room next door. I'm told that this is because the rate paid by the council is not enough so the home charges extra to self-funded residents to subsidise the cost of the council funded ones.
That meant that my mother, who had worked, paid tax and saved all her life, was not only paying for all her own care, she was also subsidising the care of others. How unfair is that? So over £150,000 in care costs over 3 years.
Am I bitter? Frankly, yes.
Yes it's extremely unfair. I understand that if I have enough money I should pay towards my care but I see no reason why I should pay extra towards the costs of the person sitting next to me! Those costs should be paid by the country as a whole through the tax system. This government, just as the previous governments, have promised to solve the problems of paying for care but no news yet. Too late for my Mum who died in November.Oh, it's much worse than that! Some homes take both self-funded and council-funded residents, but guess what? The self-funded people pay more. Where my mum was, they took both and she was paying more than £200 per week more than the council-funded resident in the identical room next door. I'm told that this is because the rate paid by the council is not enough so the home charges extra to self-funded residents to subsidise the cost of the council funded ones.
That meant that my mother, who had worked, paid tax and saved all her life, was not only paying for all her own care, she was also subsidising the care of others. How unfair is that? So over £150,000 in care costs over 3 years.
Am I bitter? Frankly, yes.
Brilliant, I would never have thought of asking that question.I agree that the lovely decor etc is aimed at the families and really doesn't mean much to most of the residents.
I think what is important is how long the staff have been there. I would ask various staff how long they have worked there. If there is a lot of staff turnover, I would be inclined to look elsewhere. Unhappy staff is not a good thing in long term care.
My dad was self-funding and he is now funded by the LA, so he's had both sides of this in his home. I think the difference is about £200 a month though, not per week. I like to think he's averaging it out! Can't say he paid tax and saved though, if he had he would have saved me a lot of trouble sorting out HMRC and all his debts... seriously though @JC51 I've had some experience with going from self to LA funding. I would say by all means look at the ratings on the homes but don't dismiss ones which are just 'good' - dad's home is excellent and they only got a 'good' on the last report. I am also a fan of the smaller home if it's possible, just because it feels more like a family home than a hospital or other institution.Oh, it's much worse than that! Some homes take both self-funded and council-funded residents, but guess what? The self-funded people pay more. Where my mum was, they took both and she was paying more than £200 per week more than the council-funded resident in the identical room next door. I'm told that this is because the rate paid by the council is not enough so the home charges extra to self-funded residents to subsidise the cost of the council funded ones.
That meant that my mother, who had worked, paid tax and saved all her life, was not only paying for all her own care, she was also subsidising the care of others. How unfair is that? So over £150,000 in care costs over 3 years.
Am I bitter? Frankly, yes.
Yes, thats exactly right.We only have joint accounts, current and savings. So does "my wife's money " mean half of what is in them?