Care Homes - Who should pay?

But if you live in Scotland you don't have to pay for care so how can that be fair?

Many 'children' expect to inherit the huge profits made by the parental home- especially in the South and of course London. I know people who paid 10.000 for homes now worth 1.5 million. Why should their kids expect to inherit that- when other tax payers pay for their parents' care????

of course it is fair that those who can pay - do so. If the home has to be sold - it is not required by the 'aged person' who will be living in the care home. the 'aged person' would still get pension/pension credit and probably attendance allowance and has no rent/bills etc to pay.
my mother was in a care home - self funding as her house was sold to pay - and she did get to choose the care home and as the alternative was her living with and making demands on her children it was the right thing to do.
the only people who seem concerned about the self funding thing are the inheritors who bleat about the loss of the family home and their inheritance
when I get incapable of looking after myself even in sheltered accommodation I would expect my capital to be used to make me as comfortable as possible.
do not those who think the state should pay realise that it comes from the current taxpayers not from 'what they have paid in' (which would really have to stretch to pay for their care. ) as well as their pension etc.

Here (in Switzerland) it is free if you can't afford it- but you have to pay if you can- and any property is taken into account too- just as in the UK. However, each person can keep about £25.000 of their savings for their children to inherit, before they have to begin to pay. I think it is fair- both my mil's house and savings went towards her care, in the UK, and my parents' went to pay for theirs, here. Fair imho.

Do British taxpayers pay for care of the elderly in Scotland? If Scotland leaves the UK can the money be used towards the care of our elderly instead?

It's free in Scotland isn't it? Does anyone know what the standard of care is like for the elderly there?

Well, on the basis that the argument is free care in old age because we paid in can I just ask this: the current cost of residential care per week is about £580? I've just found that on a website dated May 2013. Even if you have paid in all your working life can you tot up how much you've contributed, bearing in mind it was always a small proportion of our wages and wages when we were younger were small too! And can you tot up how much you have taken out in other sorts of medical care, hospital appointments, doctors appointments (all free at source) not to mention medicines that cost more than the prescription fee? How about dental care and medical care for the children? And can you honestly tell me that when you've done that sum you have contributed enough to pay £580 or more per week (allowing for future inflation and hopefully not needing residential care for a very long time) for any number of years? Personally I doubt it.

So, if we don't want to return to the old work-house style care for the elderly I think we'll have to use our own resources if we want a decent quality of care. That's what personal resources are for. Or maybe some of the children will pay?