Ignorance is no excuse

People who never need hospital treatment are subsidising those with premature babies, long term health problems, traumatic injuries, etc.

MissAdventure Very true.

Working people who don't have children not only subsidise those who do, they also help pay for the free education these children receive. I think that is how the welfare state is supposed to work.

Yes, that must cost a fortune!

Anyway, regardless, in terms of care homes, i would report any staff who are giving out info on somebodys finances.

Magenta8

I am not sure very many people who receive free care home places can be said to have contributed nothing.

Many will have paid income tax and national insurance all their working lives. There are also many who stayed at home and did most of the housework and looked after the DCs which will have enabled the breadwinner.

I quite agree.

I certainly have no idea how others have lived, saved, worked. I don't want people not having care. We've saved for care, if that was not possible, perhaps our home would be sold. Very logical.

I'm not one who thinks paying for care is a penalty.

MissAdventure

People who never need hospital treatment are subsidising those with premature babies, long term health problems, traumatic injuries, etc.

True. Not always understood.

Welcome back MissAdventure. Thanks for your comments here, based as ever in reality, humour and compassion 🌞

Oh, thank you
I've missed having people to argue with tak to.

The seven year rule is very unfair to everyone who gets a terminal illness . My husband (75] has MNd and tho we don’t know how long it will be -it will probably be within 7 years and we would love to help our children out more now that we can afford to as now we can’t spend his hard earned money on travelling and so on . But we are tied and it incenses me because it is our money .

Pebbles101

The seven year rule is very unfair to everyone who gets a terminal illness . My husband (75] has MNd and tho we don’t know how long it will be -it will probably be within 7 years and we would love to help our children out more now that we can afford to as now we can’t spend his hard earned money on travelling and so on . But we are tied and it incenses me because it is our money .

www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts

The £3,000 pa limit began in 1981. It has never increased.

At today's rates that should be about £15,000.

Pebbles101

I am sorry to hear about your husband.
These rules seem so unfair.

They do..

'People who never need hospital' so far.
No-one knows what lies in store.

Very true.
Things can change in an instant.

MissAdventure

I don't know who would be supplying a bottle of drink a day to a resident.
And i don't know how other people could possibly be given access to someones personal financial ststus.
It would breach data protection legislation

Our residents were all men.
As it’s their home they were free to come & go as they pleased.
Buy alcohol (a good few were alcoholics) & cigs, porn mags.
As OICs we knew who paid & who didn’t.
The ones who paid tended to move on to much nicer care homes
Nobody is worthless. All were treated the same.

That sounds very reasonable.

MissAdventure

Yes, that must cost a fortune!

Anyway, regardless, in terms of care homes, i would report any staff who are giving out info on somebodys finances.

It’s a sackable offence to share any details of a clients personal information.
But you can’t stop residents sharing their own information.

Yeah, of course that's fine.

Samsara1

We talk a lot about trying to manage our older years and think for us is a move to a bungalow and make it easy for things like wheelchairs etc. we talk about a suicide pact as well.

I am currently reading Lionel Shriver's book 'Should we stay or Should We go?' which fictionalises the life of a couple who decide on a pact in their after witnessing the problems their parents were facing including dementia and care issues. She then goes on to describe the various scenarios that could be the consequence of either not going through with the pact or not. It's fascinating and helpful to us who both witnessed and 'managed' our own parents decline with various degrees of horror and expense. A good read.

Absolutely will check this book out.
‘Their today is our tomorrow’.
I am thinking all the time how to improve my elderly mum’s life so she doesn’t have to go in a care home- even if it means that I move in with her.
Not everyone is fortunate to be in that position.

MissAdventure

People always provided their own toiletries in homes I've worked in.
There is money left in their kittys to pay for hairdressing, chiropody and other costs

It’s a measley amount they are left with though.
We were always doing fund raising events to raise money to buy personal care products.
Happy days 😊

keepcalmandcavachon

There is no reason to believe that someone who isn't in the position to pay for care hasn't 'paid' as much into society by other means though.
Being a low paid payed factory worker where she has perhaps contributed to her boss's wealth, or caring for a family member and therefore limiting her earing power.
In a good many cases the very people who have supported our country and worked and struggled all of their lives in harsh circumstances are now able to be treated as the rest of us.
I never take for granted my very good fortune to have been well enough/ lucky enough/stable enough/safe enough etc to have the life I want, many don't.

Best, most understanding quote here !

So true.
Its on the ball, and gets to the real nitty gritty.

Allira

Pebbles101

The seven year rule is very unfair to everyone who gets a terminal illness . My husband (75] has MNd and tho we don’t know how long it will be -it will probably be within 7 years and we would love to help our children out more now that we can afford to as now we can’t spend his hard earned money on travelling and so on . But we are tied and it incenses me because it is our money .

www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts

The £3,000 pa limit began in 1981. It has never increased.

At today's rates that should be about £15,000.

Pebbles 101 I am to hear about your husband, it must be difficult for you both.

Each parent can’t gift £3000 annually to a child and I believe also include the previous year’s allowance, if not used before.
The 7 year rule is on a sliding scale and the amount of IHT decreases as the 7 years reduce.

“Approximately 2.5% of people aged 65 and over in the UK live in care homes.

My Mum was looked after at home by my Dad, with help from a carer as she deteriorated. She died at 85.

My father-in-law lived in a care home and died at 90.
My mother-in-law lived in a care home and died at 97.
My Dad is currently living in a care home at 95.

The first three all had Alzheimer's and Dad has vascular dementia.

Plenty to look forward to for my husband and I 🙄
We're nearly 69.

Pebbles101

The seven year rule is very unfair to everyone who gets a terminal illness . My husband (75] has MNd and tho we don’t know how long it will be -it will probably be within 7 years and we would love to help our children out more now that we can afford to as now we can’t spend his hard earned money on travelling and so on . But we are tied and it incenses me because it is our money .

I'm sorry your husband has MNd.

Have you considered regular gifts out of income?

We keep good records, of course.

I think the rules are a bit easier pertaining to regular gifts.
I don't know anything much about the finance side of things, though.