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

You are far too late if your parents are elderly and have health issues. You needed to do it when they were in good health and not elderly. The council will see it as deprivation of assets and take the money back.

One option is to live as an extended family with family providing the care. Do you have any siblings who might be interested in this concept and willing to join with you?
Another option is to hire an au pair for them or offer a rent free home to a student in return for a little help round the house. (Student to be a girl and vetted)

I worked with someone who was extremely wealthy ( total snob) who managed to completely play the system and got her mum sectioned so they didn't pay the fees.I don't know the whole story but I know the police were called out several times, i assume this was evidence to support the section?
Not sure if you can do this these days? Terrible way to treat your parents.All to save money, yuck.

I agree, I've made it clear to my younger brothers that I've planned the same.

I don't think it's fair that taxpayers should be on the hook for social care when the recipients of that care have savings and assets to pay for it themselves.

There is no way you can get anyone sectioned to save money. It is a very complex procedure involving experienced hcps.

Yes that’s a possibility.
Relative in Guernsey had one which paid for 12years whilst in care.
Im not aware she had a pre existing condition though
She paid into it from when she started working at 18th or so.

Im guessing the premiums might be higher if the condition meant a higher likelihood of long term care. Unfortunately that’s the same with all these things.

How do you feel about their savings also being used to subsidise those that are taxpayer funded.
Is that fair.

Most will inherit houses

Someone told me very recently that if they need care they would rent out their home to pay the fees. All I would day is it would have to be some fabulous home to earn enough rent to pay care home fees which can run into £ ooo's every month. One legal way is to split the ownership of the house so that each parent owns half then the other half can't be touched, unless they both go into care, probably too late to do this for your parents, but u could consider it for yourself and partner.

Down the line with less home ownership that number will reduce year on year as more rent.
Allied with the increase in 18-65 yr olds Social care bill

It’s not a sustainable policy ( if you could call it that )
Not for the long term future. I think we have to avoid thinking in terms of one generation. That’s never been a good way to set policy

So so many grabby people on this thread, it's disgusting.

So you want the tax payer to fund your parents so that you can inherit their money? 🤔 nice.

Agree
Think we all need to pay in to a system we might rely on

She wants her parents care funded as others people are funded. At the risk of sounding like a broken record some people should not have to sell things to pay when others don't.

Don't get me wrong if someone has 500k in savings then yes, that of course should be used but the enforced selling of things they own? No. Totally unjust and immoral.

You get people who self fund in rooms next to people who are government funded, same care, same meals, there are no LA homes round here they are all private

There have always been people who are a massive drain on society. That won’t change anytime soon. Usually their offspring go on to also be a drain although not always. These are the people others like to look down on. Of course people like the OP on the other hand are far superior, but they don’t want to have to contribute financially to society either. Let’s keep all the money for ourselves and let the state pay for the elderly parents. That’s exactly the same as those that are looked down upon for being a drain but it’s ok because they bought a house. If you have assets you pay for your own care.

Yes. They are not separate. A friend’s mother was funded by the council in a home and a celebrity’s mother was in the same home.

The cost of professional care for those who need it is huge. It will soon be much bigger - truly vast. This is because of the demographic of the UK (population booms in the 1940s/50s/60s). Those post war babies are aging now. There aren’t enough carers now. Goodness knows how many more will be needed in the future. Nobody, just nobody, would want to pay the enormous taxes necessary to fund state care for all who need it. So those who can afford to pay for their care do (and should). It’s putting money into the economy, it’s providing jobs. To try and game the system to trick the state into paying for care (when there are assets available) is morally wrong. It’s also taking resources away from those who can’t afford to pay for care. You just have to be a grown up and accept that in life you sometimes end up paying for things. If you inherit less - so what? The world doesn’t owe you “inheritance max”

Would they consider moving into sheltered accommodation? Like a warden controlled flat. This way they have support on hand and much less likely to ever need to sell their home and go into a care home.

The house isn’t taken into account at all when the first parent goes into a care home if the other parent is still living in the house. It’s only important to divide the house if the first parent dies, then their 1/2 instead of going to the surviving spouse can be given to the children. So that 1/2 of the house will never be included in the financial assessment if/when the 2nd parent needs to go into care. This can be done by amending the will and can be done at any time (providing they haven’t lost their marbles) and doesn’t fall foul of depravation of assets. It can also be done by deed of variation of the will even after the 1st parent dies. This assumes that they jointly own the house. It doesn’t work of one parent exclusively owns the house.

We both work, pay our taxes and never have anything spare. I don’t really want to be in a situation that i have to pay more tax to fund care of those who have money to pay for it themselves. But equally i saved for years for my house deposit and gone without certain things in order to be able to buy a property so seems sad that would maybe one day have to sell to fund care and my children not getting much.

It’s sad tho how essential care is so expensive and often not a great quality. My only sibling died so anything my mum leaves will come to me but I would rather be left without anything and know that she gets best care she can get.

So your Mum thinks money spent on your Nan’s care is a waste? How awful…

Well, YNBU for wanting to protect your parents retirement budget, but at the same time, Care homes cost a lot because they (at least the good ones) provide a LOT of care for the folks! They have their own private living space, an assistant always on-call, resident nurses and doctors, some even have physio therapists and proper chefs. How much do you think you could replicate all that for?

Just please don't, for the love of God, skimp out on care home fees and go with the cheapest one you can find. I've seen some real horror stories from those places, elderly abuse and sometimes even conspiracy to rob the old folks blind 😞

Most care homes are pretty crap. It is why elderly people fight going into one.
Nursing homes have a nurse, residential homes do not. Only very luxury ones will have a Dr. Yes they have a chef in the same way schools have a chef.

She wanted her husband to look after her children with him giving them a share. It didn’t work out that way, unfortunately.