Your Pension …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

JPB123

Saggi, you can try Citizen’s Advice too,they may help.

Agreed, please call, Saggi.

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!

Saggi, you can try Citizen’s Advice too,they may help.

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.

Norah

Callistemon21

Mine is so well-made it could last for ever

I'd love a new kitchen though.

Ours has lasted forever, will continue on after we pass.

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

I dislike waste, and like saving.

Wish I could change, but I won't.

Well, Norah, I'd like easy to access drawers instead of scrabbling around at the back of a cupboard!
We did have a nice new tap recently

I've got 2 years and 3 months until I get a state pension of £9660. When my husband retires (15 months), we'll still be under that 1st tier.

Callistemon21

Mine is so well-made it could last for ever

I'd love a new kitchen though.

Ours has lasted forever, will continue on after we pass.

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

I dislike waste, and like saving.

Wish I could change, but I won't.

Mine is so well-made it could last for ever

I'd love a new kitchen though.

Wheniwasyourage

Why would anyone need a new kitchen or bathroom every 10/15 years?

Yes, I was thinking the same

The problem with any figures like these, is that expenditure patterns are based on averages - and of course none of us is average.

We come in at the top end. We both had professional jobs and, while neither of us worked for any employer for many years, when we retired we had a reasonable amount of occupational pension.

However our main gain is that DH, now nearly 80 has never stopped working. He is a consultant engineer and while the work he does is now only desk based and comes in in bits and pieces, his expertise is in the installation of offshore windfarms, so demand is steady. When he finally stops work, we will notice the loss of income.

This is shocking Saggi, and so unfair. I’m very sorry you find yourself in this situation, through circumstances outside of your control. I agree with the others’ comments to please look into any support you are rightfully due. I wish you all the best.

HousePlantQueen

Callistemon21

yes I could downsize but that costs a lot too.

It does. We've looked around but by the time somewhere might need renovating plus all the removal expenses (not to mention the upheaval) it might be better to stay put and pay for some help when needed.

I agree Callistemon, we saw a smaller, suitable bungalow for sale near us, but by the time we added up stamp duty, getting it up to the standard we wanted by replacing the swirly carpets, installing a new kitchen, new bathroom, rewire, probably new central heating.........we decided that the amount involved was more than enough to pay for help in our current garden when we need it in a few years, plus we are going to get some work done in the garden this year which will minimise the usual gardening tasks.

The Estate Agent gave us an estimate of the cost of moving 😲 but he tried to sell the bungalow as ready to walk into.
No, it wasn't, HousePlantQueen, not at that price anyway.

Thanks Casdon and NotaGran

I don't know why I couldn't do it.

Callistemon21

^yes I could downsize but that costs a lot too^.

It does. We've looked around but by the time somewhere might need renovating plus all the removal expenses (not to mention the upheaval) it might be better to stay put and pay for some help when needed.

I agree Callistemon, we saw a smaller, suitable bungalow for sale near us, but by the time we added up stamp duty, getting it up to the standard we wanted by replacing the swirly carpets, installing a new kitchen, new bathroom, rewire, probably new central heating.........we decided that the amount involved was more than enough to pay for help in our current garden when we need it in a few years, plus we are going to get some work done in the garden this year which will minimise the usual gardening tasks.

Sorry - duplicated link

Callistemon21

Age UK
Factsheet 39
Paying for care in a care home if you have a partner
April 2022
3.4Pension credit rules
If you receive Pension Credit (PC) as a couple, your entitlement changes if one of you permanently enters residential care. The Pension Service will then treat you as two separate individuals and eligibility for PC or other benefits depends on your individual levels of income and capital.

I can't do a link to it but perhaps you can find it, Saggi. It might be worth a read.

www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs39-paying-for-care-in-a-care-home-if-you-have-a-partner.pdf

Link to the fact sheet 39