HelpDesk

Paying for care

Paying for care can be a worry for residents and their families. We would advise that if you have concerns that you contact AgeUK and download their factsheet about funding. It can be a minefield when trying to seek power of attorney or court of protection so we would advise you to speak to local wills and probate lawer. A list can be found on the Law Society Website. You might also find it useful to talk about the insurance policies available on the market with a care fees planning organisation like Eldercare Group or Symponia.

You can download a Care Fees Management Handbook here which provides useful and impartial advice about paying for care.

Cost of care

You should take professional advice with regard to funding long term residential care as it can be complicated and depends on individual circumstances. The following organisations will be able to give you specialist independent advice:

Your local Council’s Social Services department
www.counselandcare.org.uk or telephone: 0845 300 7585
www.ageuk.org.uk or telephone 0800 169 65 65
www.firststopcareadvice.org.uk/finance-advice.aspx or telephone 0800 377 7070

Here area few useful guidelines:

personal/residentialcare has to be paid for by the individual if they have more than £23,250 incapital. If the level of savings and assets are below this, the localauthority may pay for some or all of the full costs of accommodation and personal care
always check with your local Council’s social services about the support they can give
check what benefits are available, for instance Attendance Allowance can normally be paid to private funders of residential care home care

Care home fees
Care home fees are normally quoted on a weekly basis unless short term or respite care is required. Assess value for money by calculating the daily rate.

Care home contracts
Every care home must provide a written contract along with a written statement of their terms and conditions and cover the following areas:

The fee and what it covers
What services are charged for
The amount of deposit required
The amount of notice required before leaving
Any charges made after the resident’s death

Most care homes will expect confirmation that fees can be met before admission to the home is allowed. Most care home operators will require confirmation of the ability to pay privately for a period of time, usually three to four years.

B&M Care clients can be assured that our systems are security compliant