Care home costs and pension

[Prontehpronto]

Hi, my uncle is in a care home, my aunt still lives in the home. My aunt is very upset, the council are applying in the courts to have my uncle's private pension paid directly to them to cover his care costs. It seems that my aunt hasn't been using his pension (paid into a joint account) to pay his cost of care.can the council do this? Worried my aunt will be left with nothing to live on 😔

Sadly, yes it will be taken. My dad is struggling -it’s shit…

How can they take it? Will it be paid directly into the council bank account?

Is the council paying the fees in full? If so then yes it's normal for the pension to go towards the costs (with the resident being allowed a small amount of "pocket money") but if it's a Joint pension shared by a married couple then they are only supposed to take half of it, leaving the other spouse with half to live on. Does she not have a pension of her own?

She has a state pension. I'm not really understanding how the council can 'take' his private pension. Might not have understood the situation properly, might need to get some more details from my aunt

I imagine the pension is seen as an asset and has to be used to cover the cost of care.
This is why people need to prepare for this happening

Hi OP - suggest you ask HQ to move this to the Elderly Parents topic. There is a lot of good advice and experience shared there on the myriad of issues arising from trying to navigate the care system and finances.

I literally never knew this was a thing. No one teaches financial planning for your elder years.

If your aunt and uncle are married then your uncle can choose to have 50% of his total private /occupational pensions paid to your aunt. It has to be 50% and not a lesser amount. NB This only applies if they are married. It does not apply to cohabitants. This should have been dealt with at the time your uncle's means were assessed by the local authority.

Age UK has a fact sheet - "Paying for care in a care home when you have a partner" on their website that gives you more information. Age UK also has a telephone helpline,the number is 0800 678 1602.