AIBU to try and prevent care home fees? Advice appreciated

[Watermelonsuns]

So my parents are elderly, both have health issues but managing well at home. My mum in particular would struggle if something happened to my dad. Recently a friend's parent had to go into a care home and as the parent owned their own house and savings they are self funding and the fees are crazy.
AIBU to try and find a way to protect my parent's property and savings in order its not all gone in care home fees in the last years?
Someone has suggested moving their property into my name but surely that would be an obvious way to avoid fees and would look dodgy? Is there another loop hole im missing? Aby advice from someone working in this area would be appreciated thanks

Just wow! Whatever your parents needed, they paid for their whole lives. Why should that change because they need care. You can save them spending money on care by doing it all your bloody self! What makes you think tax payers should pay to care for your parents so that you inherit their money/home!!! Disgraceful!

They really do expect it all don’t they. You make your own choices. Having to sell a house to pay care home fees is just one of those things. Too bad about “inheritance”. Just the way things go. It’s all a gamble

but if they need into a care home for Dementia then the government expects people who have saved and worked hard to pay themselves yet people who haven't are taken care of.

Maybe hope your parents get dementia and their behaviour results in them being held under a Section - the State will pay then.
🙄

If they own their own house OP they could put a Tenants In Common on their will, this will at least mean that if you mother/father dies first half of the property and savings cannot be touched for care home fees. It’s easily done by a solicitor.

My Mum's fee's are £4500 a month!! The cheapest in her area, which is council run, would have worked out £3300 a month.

Our problem is, her savings have now been used, and her house hasn't sold. I am looking into best way to borrow money to cover it. Council are arseholes. They will provide carers 4 times a day for her at home, but no overnight care which is when she would be really unsafe.

Well OP, you did ask for people’s opinions on your intentions. It’s in your question in your thread title.

Relevant thread ‘Nice stuff’ on credit | Mumsnet

Why to bother doing right thing?

A lot of them are owned by private equity firms, which is part of the problem. That's one of the reasons the fees are so high, it's going as profit to shareholders and not towards the residents' care.

My Grandma's are over £6K a month and that's pretty standard round here.

Councils are stuck between a rock and a hard place as about 80% of their budget goes on social care, and it's still not nearly enough.

It's the grey area of not being able to sell her home to release the equity. We're trying - but it's a hard property to sell. They rent like hot cakes, but rental income wouldn't be enough to fill the gap between income (pensions) and cost of home.

I didn't realise I would have this worry to be honest - and it is a lost of stress. My sons have "university funds" but I really detest the idea of spending that on her care home.

Agree @Gloriia and @minipie

Although I think the money raised would be absorbed into paying for ALL adult social care leaving the elderly still having to sell all their assets.

In 2022/23
one third of requests for funding came from working age people and two thirds from pensioners
At that time
Funding was given as follows to
293,000 working age people
543,000 pensioners

here’s a chart from the Kings Fund

If their partner or dependent is living in the house the Council can’t touch it anyway.

@CharSiu Some people have always lived long lives. The difference is the very strong survived to a great age. Now with modern medicine the weak are kept alive for too long and it’s often cruel. That’s the real debate.

I agree, it can be cruel.

I understand - my Grandma ran out of money a while ago - she is over 100! Nobody assumed she'd live as long as she has. The money she gets from the council is about £2K short for her fees per month but her children don't want to move her now, not at her age. So they're having to top it up themselves and it's causing quite a family rift as they are pensioners themselves. Social care is a nightmare.

Yes they can investigate
Of course
Plus they do, of course. As far as they feel inclined or can afford to pay someone to investigate.

That doesn’t mean they can prove deliberate deprivation of assets or indeed pay the court fees to do so if they think someone has.
That’s the issue
They can’t.

Not many people go into care homes. Most in care homes have dementia.
Most manage with carers visiting their home. You want money to be able to pay for more than the absolute basics the government will pay for.

@DrPrunesqualer If they do not pay market rent to you, they will see it as deprivation of assets. You can not allow them to live in the house for free.

If her moneys run out surely the council would be at serious fault to move her to another home within their budget. ( assuming she is frail )
This is a health and safety issue surely.
Has she been assessed by a GP to see if a move is possible without it impacting her health.
I don’t think the council can insist on this if it’s assessed it would not be in her interests to move her then the Council cannot make family members pay either

What was this relating to Joyous

@DrPrunesqualer Of course the council can insist on a move

I literally copied and pasted from a comment by OP. If she is not making the right points you need to take it up with her.

If you are at risk from falling it doesn't help having carers coming in however many times.

Sorry perhaps?

People have carers coming in who can not walk. People still have falls in care homes.
Most homes are full of dementia patients, you do not want to live there if you can still manage at home.

?
I haven’t been talking about rent
was your post for someone else ?