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Care home fees

(29 Posts)
Phillips Fri 17-May-24 13:42:52

My 98 year old mother in law has vascular dementia. We have decided she needs full time care now.
We are confused about how much she will have to pay. She has £20,000 savings and owns her house.
She get state pension, pension credit and attendance allowance.
How does it work ? will we have to sell her house then pay the debt? I assume she’ll still be entitled to all her income as above
It’s so confusing. I’ve heard that there 6 weeks intermediate care package but will she be entitled to it.
If anyone else has any advice and experience of this process please help

Cabbie21 Sat 18-May-24 13:03:52

We had no hassle with my mum. Dad had just died but there was enough in the bank for a few months until the house was sold, so she was self funding. As it happened a community nurse recommended a Home that she visited regularly and we looked no further. She was very happy there. In fact she had a new lease of life.
I do not understand people who try to give away their assets in order to avoid care home fees. Far better to use the funds to make their later life comfortable.
Actually my parents were poor all their lives but Dad was prudent with insurances. Made all the difference to Mum’s last months.

Primrose53 Sat 18-May-24 16:06:56

We thought about renting out my Mum’s house while she was in the care home but there is so much to think about. Her house was immaculate throughout but dated and people want all modern now. So that would mean complete new carpets or flooring throughout and refreshing all the paintwork. She also had a large garden with hedges and lots of lawn and not all tenants like gardening so we would have had to pay gardeners.

There are all the health and safety regulations to comply with electric and gas checks, EPC certificates, updating electrical boards, smoke alarms etc.

Once we had cleared the house we decided to sell it and it sold really quickly. Mum was pleased that a local person bought it.

Germanshepherdsmum Sat 18-May-24 16:13:47

Yes Primrose, letting isn’t an easy option, and an attorney must act in the donor’s best interests. Far better to sell.