Desperation over care home fees..

[skinz]

How many people earn enough to pay for full time care, no point going to work for £400 a week if its costing you £600 a week to put your mother in a nursing home, you might as well quite work and do the caring yourself.

 

Allowing you family to care for you? That would be selfish, wouldn't it?

[angos]

Allowing you family to care for you? That would be selfish, wouldn't it?

 

80 year old as an house worth £200,000.

 

a, Family sell it, keep the money and care for their relative.

 

or

 

b, They sell it and pay someone else to care for their relative.

 

or

 

c, They sell it, keep the money and encourage granny to top her self.

 

 

d, They sell it and keep the money and expect the state to care for their relative.

 

 

a and b look to be the unselfish options whilst c and d are the selfish options.

[tinfoilhat]

People don't seem to realise that when entering a care home you are obliged to nominate a 'friend or family member' who will be responsible for paying care home fees when your own money runs out (which it will, quicker than you think, even if you have a home to sell.)

 

This isn't a prerequisite of the care home, but of Sheffield City Council. Even if you fit all the criteria for council help, they will only pay about £400 a week towards costs, and the average cost of a care home is £600 a week. The shortfall has to be met by the nominated person.

 

Could you afford to pay an extra £800 a month from your monthly income to keep a loved one in a home?

 

It's a scandal, and it will affect nearly everyone sooner or later. That's why I keep banging on about care home costs, which I think are extortionate and far exceed what is reasonable.

 

I can't believe this happens or if it does it doesn't happen everywhere. Lets granny has no dependents to underwrite her stay at shady pines and is a former council tennant? Are you seriously saying she would be thrown out into the street? Ill need to see some evidence because I just don't buy it. Now if granny is in home that charges more money than the council allocate and is in a nicer more expensive home she may need to downgrade, when the money runs out. But note downgrade, not roam the streets and sofa surf.

 

And if she has to sell her former home to pay for those fees, who cares? She can't live in it anymore, and if the money grabbing offspring don't like it, that's tough luck.

[Twiglet]

I can't believe this happens or if it does it doesn't happen everywhere. Lets granny has no dependents to underwrite her stay at shady pines and is a former council tennant? Are you seriously saying she would be thrown out into the street? Ill need to see some evidence because I just don't buy it. Now if granny is in home that charges more money than the council allocate and is in a nicer more expensive home she may need to downgrade, when the money runs out. But note downgrade, not roam the streets and sofa surf.

 

And if she has to sell her former home to pay for those fees, who cares? She can't live in it anymore, and if the money grabbing offspring don't like it, that's tough luck.

 

You're right. Nobody should be asked to find a third party to make top up payments unless they are choosing to move into a care home that is more expensive than the usual local authority contribution. If you have assets of more than around £23k and are therefore having to pay all your own care costs, you may be asked to nominate a third party to top up local authority payments when your assets/savings deplete to the threshold if you are moving into a home that is more expensive than the local authority usual payment.

 

Everyone is means tested. If they have no assets the local authority will pay for their care provided it is in the care home place that is nominated for them or costs less.

[RonJeremy]

A very sad and disturbing story in today's papers.

 

'A 74 year old man tried to smother his 93 yearold mother in desperation over her costly care home fees.'

 

The man, described as 'a caring, dutiful and attentive only son,' tried to smother his mother after struggling to cope with her care home fees.

 

He also looks after his 76 year old wife who is suffering from dementia, in spite of having had a stroke himself and suffering from diabetes. He traveled every day to see his mother in her care home. He was afraid of losing his own home to fund her fees which cost £34,000 a year.

 

He had previously discussed his concerns over how much longer he could pay the fees with the care home manager and had been directed to the adult social services team, but they refused to assist him.

 

'His mother is described as frail but in good health and largely independent, and he could see himself losing his own home to pay her fees as she continued to go on and on.'

 

Is it just me that feels angry that this sort of situation can arise? What sort of country do we live in where this is allowed to happen? And what sort of country do we live in that provides care for old people that is ridiculously unaffordable?

 

This is a growing problem that is going to affect all of us one day and needs sorting out urgently.

 

What do you think?

 

What do you think should be done? When you say sorting out, what do you mean? We cared for my mother at home when she died.

[tinfoilhat]

What do you think should be done? When you say sorting out, what do you mean? We cared for my mother at home when she died.

 

Not always an option sadly. There might be issues with giving medication, violence, property might not be suitable. Going back to the op, there is no way that a 73 year old should be looking after a wife with dementia and making sure his 93 year old mum is ok without support. No wonder he cracked.

[RonJeremy]

Not always an option sadly. There might be issues with giving medication, violence, property might not be suitable. Going back to the op, there is no way that a 73 year old should be looking after a wife with dementia and making sure his 93 year old mum is ok without support. No wonder he cracked.

 

Not saying that it was right. Not saying everyone should do what we did. It was hard.

It was a question asking what should be done?