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Elderly parents

FIL wants to go into a home - but he’s medically fine!

243 replies

rickyrickygrimes · 18/12/2024 21:17

He’s lonely, has some forgetfulness (but no dementia etc), no major physical conditions except a bad hip which is not bad enough to be on a waiting list for a replacement. He’s had a complete medical and memory check up very recently, and they haven’t found anything other than the above. He has been put on anxiety meds.

He basically wants to go into a home because he doesn’t want to look after himself. He’s never had to in his life, and frankly he hates it. He lives alone, with my SIL providing his food , doing some housework / ironing etc and visiting 3-4 times a week. But for him, it’s not enough.

He wants someone else to do all his housework, do his laundry, provide his food, give him company, and bring him a cup of tea and some cake every two hours. He can’t drive any more, and is refusing to use taxis. He’s spent the last 5 years visiting Mil in her nursing home, and it looks to him like the ideal solution. The big difference is, of course, that Mil had advanced Parkinson’s, osteoporosis and dementia when she went in - so social services agreed that there was no alternative, and she has been fully funded in a very care home.

FIL went to visit her today, and told his woes to one of the nurses. She said he’s welcome to move in whenever he wants, no waiting list for him 🙄

am I right in thinking that he will be self funding? Because there is no medical need for him to be in residential care and any care assessment would confirm that he doesn’t need to be in residential care?

and if he is self funding, what would happen after his money runs out approximately 1,5 years later 🙄

OP posts:
magicalmrmistoffelees · 18/12/2024 21:59

ttcat37 · 18/12/2024 21:58

Why does it bother you so much? He wants to be looked after. He has the money. Let him be looked after.

He has the money for 12-18 months. What then?

RabbitsEatPancakes · 18/12/2024 21:59

He just sounds sort of lazy. Has he ever had to look after himself or have MIL and Sil always just done it all for him? How old actually is he?

If he's fit, then blowing all his cash in 18months only to be left homeless afterwards seems quite a bad idea. What about moving him to a retirement village, there are some that you buy a place but essentially lose all your assets when you die, that might work for him.

ttcat37 · 18/12/2024 21:58

Why does it bother you so much? He wants to be looked after. He has the money. Let him be looked after.

Tessiebeare · 18/12/2024 21:58

While he may enjoy the life in a residential care home and the home will be keen to encourage him (because frankly he will be much less work than the other residents), I don’t think it would be wise in his case. If his money runs out in a year or two he would have to move out anyway and if he is otherwise still quite able he may actually find that he is bored.
He does however sound an ideal candidate for sheltered housing. All sheltered housing complexes are different so you’d have to look at different ones and there is also very sheltered housing. There would be a warden on site in case of any problems, some of them have common rooms and activities and some will have a laundry service/ cleaners. Some provide one meal a day in the dining room or the fish and chip van comes round or very sheltered housing generally has the option for all meals in the dining room.
Alternatively, could he afford to hire a personal assistant who comes in for say 2 hours a day and does all housework/ laundry/ preps some meals?

stichguru · 18/12/2024 21:56

Sorry you are having to go through this OP. I would wait until a few months after MIL dies and just see what he is like then. Would it be worth exploring sheltered flats? My aunt was in one for a while between selling the family home (kids moved out and husband died), and her dementia getting too bad for her to not have nursing. His own flat, a living room with activities going on and the option of meal each lunch time, a shop and things on site. 24/7 intercom to carers if he fell/felt poorly etc.

magicalmrmistoffelees · 18/12/2024 21:53

rickyrickygrimes · 18/12/2024 21:41

MIL is on end of life care and likely to pass away in the next few days, so emotions are running high.

they own a small flat worth around £100k. He has a reasonable pension, not sure how much.

the problem will be explaining to him why MIL was entitled to fully funded care, and that he will not be - especially now that the nurse has invited him to move in 🙄.

Why will explaining it to him be a problem? Just explain it to him! MIL had significant health needs and he doesn’t. Why would he be unable to understand that?

Not2identifying · 18/12/2024 21:53

How old is he? (Sorry if you said and I missed it).

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:53

oh...i thought just to recommend going to one of these church centres with cheaper meals, open daily and cafe there and groups but he does not like commuting....

TwinkleLights24 · 18/12/2024 21:53

I feel sorry for him, feeling lonely is hard. The cruise sounds like a good idea in the meantime!

rickyrickygrimes · 18/12/2024 21:51

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:43

I don't get that. How she was entitled to fully funded care

She has advanced Parkinson’s, dementia and osteoporosis. She went into hospital during Covid, and ended up doubly incontinent, and immobile. She was unable to feed herself, needed a hoist to get out of bed. It was pretty obvious that 24/7 care in a nursing home was required.

but FIL is medically quite good for his age. With a cleaner coming every couple of days, etc. he should be fine at home. But he basically wants to be waited on and looked after. He is fully capable of doing all his personal care - he just doesn’t want to.

he consistently refuses to go to any of the social activities for older people that have been offered to him: he wants them to come to him. And he is unwilling to use taxis to get to them. Ditto tea and biscuits.

OP posts:
NoBinturongsHereMate · 18/12/2024 21:49

PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 18/12/2024 21:44

I totally agree. Lots of people choose to go into care homes so someone can, well, just care for them.

But he can't afford it. What do you suggest should happen to him in 18 months when the money runs out and he has nowhere to live?

titchy · 18/12/2024 21:48

LostittoBostik · 18/12/2024 21:30

If he's self funding why is this a problem? Not every home is a care home in the truly medical sense. Some are more like retirement homes.

This situation is sort of the dream, isn't it? So many people spend years trying to convince their parents that they need to be in a care environment because they're a danger to themselves. How refreshing that someone wants to take control of how they spend this last chapter?

Because in 18 months time he'll be evicted!

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:47

right....thank you. So very unwise selling just now.

NoBinturongsHereMate · 18/12/2024 21:47

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:43

I don't get that. How she was entitled to fully funded care

CHC funding, if she was sufficiently unwell; and most likely she had no savings above the threshold. The house couldn't be counted in the assessment for her funding because FiL is still living in it. It will be counted for his.

comedycentral · 18/12/2024 21:47

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:43

I don't get that. How she was entitled to fully funded care

My grandad was too, some people are medically entitled to funded care.

Tiswa · 18/12/2024 21:46

extracare charitable trust run the one my Nan was at

OvaHere · 18/12/2024 21:46

MIL is on end of life care and likely to pass away in the next few days, so emotions are running high.

I don't think this is the time for him to be making momentous decisions. I would encourage him to wait at least a couple of months then have a discussion about what comes next.

L0bstersLass · 18/12/2024 21:45

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:43

I don't get that. How she was entitled to fully funded care

Because her assets were below the threshold, meaning that the state pays for it.
Her share of the home wouldn't have been considered as husband is still living in it.

PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich · 18/12/2024 21:44

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 18/12/2024 21:25

Fair enough. If he can afford it and it's what he wants he should absolutely do it.

I totally agree. Lots of people choose to go into care homes so someone can, well, just care for them.

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:43

I don't get that. How she was entitled to fully funded care

Foreigners88 · 18/12/2024 21:42

Let him go. He is looked after by your sil

rickyrickygrimes · 18/12/2024 21:41

MIL is on end of life care and likely to pass away in the next few days, so emotions are running high.

they own a small flat worth around £100k. He has a reasonable pension, not sure how much.

the problem will be explaining to him why MIL was entitled to fully funded care, and that he will not be - especially now that the nurse has invited him to move in 🙄.

OP posts:
NoBinturongsHereMate · 18/12/2024 21:39

But he only has about £100,000 max in property, plus a modest pension.

If he sells the house, half the value is likely to be counted towards MiL's care. So it will run out in a year or less.

LostittoBostik · 18/12/2024 21:39

I think sheltered accommodation with a very active community on site would be the best option.

Werecat · 18/12/2024 21:37

He’s lonely and life is hard for him. He’s seen that it could be different. He wants to be around other older people and have organised fun somewhere warm and safe.

That’s what it sounds like to me. So he needs to be delivered food in a warm house with plentiful cake and tea, with frequent trips to locally organised entertainment and old age social groups. Is that possible?