Care Homes - what happens when your money runs out?

[Tensmumym]

My mum is 85 this month and has become increasingly frail in the last year or so after a fall when she fractured her hip. She was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's in December but is in the early stages. We are looking at moving her into a home but the homes are very expensive. We're looking at places which charge £1,300 per week. She has £200,000 in savings and would probably get about £200,000 for her house so could afford 6 years. Obviously we don't know how long she will live but I was just wondering if what would happen if the money ran out? Do social services pay or would they pay a proportion of it and expect you to top up the rest? How do you find out how much they would pay? Thanks.

[twentyten]

Contact age uk for advice- then try your county council. Ours has a helpful phone line.

Sounds an expensive care home! Good luck

[twentyten]

Try this:
www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and-care/care-homes/

[ThatsAStupidUsername]

This subject was discussed on last Wednesdays Radio 5s Money Box LINK HERE

[Tensmumym]

Thanks so much for your replies and the link to Money Box. Unfortunately I live in Kensington and Chelsea - an expensive area and one where people live a long time so there are waiting lists everywhere. Does anyone have any experience of buying an annuity?

[AgentProvocateur]

I can't think of how to word this without sounding callous, but statistically, very few people last for six years once they go into a home. Your council will have agreements with homes, where they pay a flat rate. In theory, once your mum's money runs out, they could move her to one of these homes. Even though the home is dear, the council may have an agreement to buy beds there at a much lower rate, and she could stay.

Good luck.

[Tensmumym]

Thanks. I think we should really just concentrate on using her money to maximise her quality of life for the next few years. It's just that you hear how it's not good to move those who have dementia if she does happen to live longer than 5 or so years. Do you know if councils will tell you how much they will contribute towards care once money is running out?

[twentyten]

Rent her house out?

[Universal]

I'm a nurse who works in care for the elderly. The only company I would rehouse my parents with is Anchor Homes. I think they are a charity and cheaper than the price you quoted. I'm not sure if they have a home in your area but it's worth considering. They also offer advice.

[Tensmumym]

Thanks for your replies. twentyten - We have considered renting her house out. It would need quite a bit of updating before it could be rented out so it's a question of how much money that would cost but it's definitely worth looking into. Universal - can I ask why Anchor is the only company you would consider? I will check Anchor out.

[twentyten]

Do you have a financial advisor? If savings are linked to life insurance the council cannot include them in assessments. Look up the crag guidelines. Good luck!

[weatherall]

What home support is she getting at the moment?

She would only need to move into a home once she requires 24/7 supervision. Indications of this would be bag avionics like wandering off or causing fires/floods in the house.

First you should make sure her house has had a OT assessment and has had telecare appliances fitted.

Once she needs a care home, the average stay being 2 years, then yes if her money runs out then she could be evicted and moved into one that costs the council rate.

For the specifics of your councils policies you will have to ask them. You should also ask social work for a full community care assessment of her needs.

[Universal]

Sorry for the late reply. If I need to discharge a patient off the ward, no matter what time of day or night, anchor always answer the phone. If we discharge late they make sure there is someone to welcome the patient and they are fed etc. Basic but not all homes do it.

[Needmoresleep]

I don't the answer but some random thoughts:

1. What are your own plans? My parents left London to retire to the South coast. Unplanned but a long time later it is working out well. Great variety of care provision, much cheaper than in London. We have bought a small flat by the sea which is something our children seem interested in using as well. My parents had very active lives and never really invested in family so DM does not expect weekly visits. A second home means not only can I now pop in, but we have a second home and can escape London. We recoup costs through holiday lets.
   

1. Anchor is a Housing Assn (RSL) so access to accommodation might be through social services. That said they may have some private provision as well. (I came across them in a previous job, though the bricks and mortar people not the care side, and they struck me as a well run and knowledgeable bunch.)
   

1. DM is in sheltered accommodation but will need to move probably in the next 1-3 years. I need to look around but some of the advice I have had from local professionals is that some of the small family run dementia homes are better and cheaper than the big expensive chains. Trouble is that no one is allowed to make recommendations, so it will be a case of going round and looking at them all. With dementia, location will be far less important, so costs can be reduced if I find a nice home which is not in a prime residential area.
   

1. Having made the comment about large private chains, my cousin, who had to move her dad quickly into a BUPA home when it was clear that he could not be discharged home, found that one advantage was that each home looks exactly alike: same pictures, furniture, menu etc. Before he died they were talking about him moving closer to her. He very much wanted to stay with BUPA as apart from the view from the window, his room, which he never left, would not change. In fairness the staff were lovely and though at the time they simply had to go with whoever had a bed, they ended up happy with their choice. My guess is that regardless of provider,you are more likely to find good, consistent staffing outside London.

[DanielAnchor]

Hello

My name is Daniel and I work for Anchor in their Marketing team.

Firstly, thank you Universal for the recommendation. It means a lot to us that someone has gone out of their way to recommend us.

Thank you Needmoresleep as well for the positive comments, we try our best and to read comments like that means a lot.

However, just to clarify;

Anchor is Englands largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for older people. We offer cares homes, and rental and leasehold housing to people aged 55 and over, at 1000 locations across the country. Anchor supports both self-funders and those whose housing, care or support is either partly or wholly publicly-funded.

We do have a property finder as well as other resources available on our website //www.anchor.org.uk and we also have our Customer Centre who can be contacted on 0845 140 2020 (Mon-Fi 9-5) who would be more than happy to discuss any properties or any concerns that you may have.

We do have some downloadable materials on our site as well addressing some concerns and issues people have surrounding care, including financial planning and benefit entitlements. These can be found here (www.anchor.org.uk/help-and-guides).

I hope this helps

[Tensmumym]

Many thanks for your replies.

[xxyummymummy28xx]

Hiya,
I know this is an old thread, but I just wondered how you got on? I worked in care for 15 years and saw some shocking practices so I was really worried when it became apparent that my Grandma needed to go into a care home. I took an active role in choosing the right place for her since I knew what to look for and eventually we settled on Ashwood Nursing home in Spalding. It's run by a company called Country Court Care and quite honestly I have NEVER seen a care setting like it. All the people that live there are treated with consideration, dignity, respect and understanding by every single member of staff . . . literally. Not one bad egg in the bunch. A rarity. It's a beautiful setting too. They have a couple of care homes in London so might be worth you looking at if you're not satisfied with your current situation? //www.countrycourtcare.co xxx

[xxyummymummy28xx]

Sorry. Also just for anyone else who comes across this thread as I did . . . just found this on The Anchor Trust . . . just the kind of thing I was worried about for my Grandma . . .

www.noodls.com/view/06DE3A0BDDFA0E543423F66167E6A74CBA830A8F?4065xxx1412184180