Your Pension …

Norah

M0nica

New would be lovely, to what end for 78/80 year olds?

Well, we are the same age and we have just had a new kitchen. The previous one was 25 years old and the paint was bubbling and the MDF swelling, not to mention the hinges breaking regularly. The new kitchen is in an extension that gives us a big window where we can sit and look out over the garden.

Age, of itself, should not be a bar to doing anything.

Our home is over 60 yrs old, it was old when we bought it. Given a new kitchen would have always been lovely, we'd like to be able to pay for our care as we age, apart from looking at a worktop.

Our of interest, are you the poster who asked me about walking terriers, at my age? Not too old, age is not a bar to dog walking!

It’s about choices though. Keeping a dog costs at least £10 per week, which over the dog’s lifetime equates to buying a new kitchen. I don’t follow logic which deprives you of a kitchen you will use for years, and which will increase the value of your house, to save for care you may not ever need. I’m saying this with the benefit of my parents in their nineties still living in their own home, with lots of savings but unable to now face the prospect of upgrading it although it’s needed.

If a house is improved, it increases the value so that when it is sold to pay for care , more money is available.

M0nica

No, Norah, I know nothing about dogs, I would certainly never write a post suggesting there was anything anyone could not do on grounds of age alone.

Your post implies differently. Maybe not, opinions vary.

M0nica Sun 18-Dec-22 21:23:10
Norah i do not know how old your are or the dangers of either of you becoming unfit for any reason, but what happens if one of you has a heart attack,mor becons too athritic to walk. What will happen to the dogs then?

If I'm not too old, for a new kitchen, I'm not too old for my wonderful dogs. Heart attack or arthritis - no cooking or walking.

Norah I said age, alone, should never be a bar. Age and infirmity can be a bar and we need to always think ahead.

I am not sure what you said in your previous post so have no context for my reply

Casdon

Norah

M0nica

New would be lovely, to what end for 78/80 year olds?

Well, we are the same age and we have just had a new kitchen. The previous one was 25 years old and the paint was bubbling and the MDF swelling, not to mention the hinges breaking regularly. The new kitchen is in an extension that gives us a big window where we can sit and look out over the garden.

Age, of itself, should not be a bar to doing anything.

Our home is over 60 yrs old, it was old when we bought it. Given a new kitchen would have always been lovely, we'd like to be able to pay for our care as we age, apart from looking at a worktop.

Our of interest, are you the poster who asked me about walking terriers, at my age? Not too old, age is not a bar to dog walking!

It’s about choices though. Keeping a dog costs at least £10 per week, which over the dog’s lifetime equates to buying a new kitchen. I don’t follow logic which deprives you of a kitchen you will use for years, and which will increase the value of your house, to save for care you may not ever need. I’m saying this with the benefit of my parents in their nineties still living in their own home, with lots of savings but unable to now face the prospect of upgrading it although it’s needed.

Interesting.

Life is about choices. We choose dogs and saving for care.

We're 78/80. The dogs cost £1500 a year minimum (your numbers, not mine). Dogs life expectancy is maybe 10 years, and that amount would pay for a kitchen? Really? Logically, no not nearly enough for a new kitchen.

Lovely idea, however our kitchen will see us out.

10 years at £1,500 a year = £15,000, more than enough to redo a kitchen. ours cost less than £13,000, including professional fitting, but no new appliances, and we were not trying to keep to a low budget, just getting what we wanted.

Obviously dog v kitchen is a personal choice, but costwise they are much the same.

M0nica

10 years at £1,500 a year = £15,000, more than enough to redo a kitchen. ours cost less than £13,000, including professional fitting, but no new appliances, and we were not trying to keep to a low budget, just getting what we wanted.

Obviously dog v kitchen is a personal choice, but costwise they are much the same.

Hypothetical minimum number to supporting dogs for 10 years would be £15,000. Believe our daughter spent £28,000 on her kitchen, I'll ask.

I believe I also said that I preferred to save for care, in answer to a post decidedly not about our dogs.

Dogs were from a prior post to our age/health/dog walks.

Saggi Contact your local Age UK and ask them for help. They can do a benefit check and help you apply for benefits. Failing that contact Citizens Advice

Benfits you may be entitled to include:
_Pension Credit:_www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

If you are in rented property you may qualify for housing benefit www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs17_housing_benefit_fcs.pdf

You may also qualify for Council tax relief whether you rent or own your house www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs21_council_tax_fcs.pdf

If you are becoming disabled, perhaps need help doing things or have had falls you may well qualify for Attendance Allowance. If you would like to discuss that PM me and I will try to help

Here is a link to the fact sheet on paying for care www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs39-paying-for-care-in-a-care-home-if-you-have-a-partner.pdf. You say your husband has pensions I presume that includes occupational and/or private pensions. Look at section 5. It states that Age UK factsheet 39 April 2022
If you enter a care home permanently and have a personal or private pension, an occupational pension, or a retirement annuity, you can choose to pass 50 per cent to your partner remaining at home, and this amount must be disregarded in the financial assessment. Make sure you are getting your 50%. Social Services can sometimes fail to honour this clause.