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Elderly parents
Original poster

Do family members have to pay care home fees?

26 replies

jimijack · 19/02/2015 16:58

I am horrified at the thought that me & dh will have to find the money to pay for fil to be cared for in a home.

He owns a house worth about £90k can that be sold to pay? What happens when the Money runs out? Who pays then?

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 19/02/2015 17:00

no

the initial care fees will be paid by the Local Authority putting a charge on his house

when he dies, if the house is left to dependants, they will take their cut and the rest will go to them

if the money runs out, fees are paid by LA (assuming you go for a LA home)

monkeysaymoo · 19/02/2015 17:00

If he owns a home he will be expected to fund his own care home fees once the money runs out his fees will be funded. You won't be asked to pay for it

Shesparkles · 19/02/2015 17:00

No, it's the individual receiving the care who has to pay.
A family friend has recently been in this position, rather than sell the house and the capital be eaten away to nothing, the family have decided to rent the house out to cover the fees, so the house still remains an asset

Tsoukalosy · 19/02/2015 17:00

You are horrified your elderly fil needs caring for? Wow. Hopefully one day someone doesnt say the same about you.

AnyFucker · 19/02/2015 17:02

I don't think that it what the op meant, Tsoulaky

Perfectlypurple · 19/02/2015 17:03

The op is not horrified that fil needs caring for, just worried about who will have to pay. My nan was in a care home and it costs upward of £750a week, usually more. Very few people would be able to fund a relatives care bill.

Original poster
jimijack · 19/02/2015 17:03

Don't be an arse, I am saying I am horrified that we will have to go into debt, massively reduce our quality of life to find the money to pay for the man to be cared for.

Everyone else thank you for understanding what I meant and for your very reassuring replies.

OP posts:
Tsoukalosy · 19/02/2015 17:03

Sorry op read it wrong. Apologies

AnyFucker · 19/02/2015 17:05

it'll be ok, jimi

the worst thing that can happen is that some (or even all) of your inheritance (if you are due to inherit) will be spent on your FIL's care

which is as it should be....but none comes directly out of your pocket

Original poster
jimijack · 19/02/2015 17:07

No offence, I can't stand the man but wouldn't deny him any care.
He is fighting fit now, just read something that worrisome about paying for fees.

We are not interested in any inheritance, that isn't going to happen, just can't afford to fund care.

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 19/02/2015 17:08

The thing you need to be aware of though (my SIL is an adult care Social worker) is that if he picks a naice home at 900 a week and his house is sold to pay for it - the money will run out incredibly quickly and then he will be forced to move to somewhere he may not like (and he may be more elderly and frail by then) that the local
Authority can afford at their maximum of about £380 a week.

Tsoukalosy · 19/02/2015 17:08

I get that now i re read it properly and apologized. I know someone in the same situation but don't know how they fund it.

LaurieFairyCake · 19/02/2015 17:09

Ah x-posted.

More likely he will stay at home as long as possible and social services will assess his needs and your fil will pay for carers to come in -

Original poster
jimijack · 19/02/2015 17:22

Thanks Tsoukalosy, I saw your apology.

As I say, he is fighting fit, think he will remain so for many years to come. He is only 65.
His house will pay for it then.
Phew!

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 19/02/2015 17:24

not your monkey, jimi (unless you want it to be)

Postchildrenpregranny · 19/02/2015 17:24

Funding is actually quite complicated OP
If you choose to apply for LA funding , the difference between what the LA pays(as above says, usually about £380 a week) and what the home charges (could be £900 a week or more) has to be found by the resident and you are not supposed to use your own savings-so family members would have to pay! (in practice I suspect most people do in fact use savings) .
You are therefore better to be self- funded until the money runs out, even if it means selling property .
It's quite hard to explain (the thinking is you cannot 'run down ' your assets so the LA has to pay) and most people are astounded and horrified to find out this is the case (I was) If your FIL has a named Social Worker they will go through it with you .
Beware if you choose a very expensive home as if/when the money runs out and the LA takes over costs (they have to ) they can move the person to somewhere cheaper.
My MIL went into a home aged 91 . We took a bit of a gamble that her money would last (she had quite a decent pension too) . Bless her, she died last year aged 93(and just after the home sold and the fees increased sharply too)

Original poster
jimijack · 19/02/2015 19:52

He has no savings, just his house.
No social worker, not necessary, he retired last summer. Not needing care, but I want to prepare for the future and what to expect, how things work.

He has his house, we do not expect to inherit anything, he has nothing to leave.

Anyway, pleased we won't have to pay anything.
Thanks very much.

OP posts:
serengelly · 19/02/2015 19:57

Our council pays a certain amount, we have to pay the rest

Perfectlypurple · 19/02/2015 19:58

Family don't have to pay where I am. My nan didn't have her own house and had less than £23,000 in the bank so it was funded by LA, it cost them £1000 a week.

PaulineFossil · 19/02/2015 20:09

Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know what happens if someone needs care and owns their house but their spouse still needs to live in the house?

Needmoresleep · 19/02/2015 20:56

Jimi. Encourage him to think of a move to sheltered housing when things start getting more difficult. A bungalow with adaptations and a warden or similar. DM is in very sheltered (24 hr warden, cooked lunch) and its way cheaper than a home. She had to buy her flat but it should "last" longer, eg that a move into a home is delayed by 3-5 years. Plus she gets to be 'independent' for longer, which in turn helps to delay the dementia as she needs to do more for herself. Instead of moving her my idea will be to ramp up care visits as and when.

bullseyebraces · 20/02/2015 08:31

pauline the house is disregarded if a spouse living in it (or other dependent eg relative over 60)

Postchildrenpregranny · 21/02/2015 10:16

Gosh Jimijack .I am coming up to 65 and I don't think it's crossed DDs minds to think about any of this (and mine only in a very general way as am aware of the way it 'works') I hope he doesn't know you are thinking about it ,especially as he is well and active
I'm not sure many people think of 65 as old these days

Postchildrenpregranny · 21/02/2015 10:21

Yes Perfectlypurple is right,the ' threshold' if you have only savings is £23,000 .they do use your pension (I think you get to keep about £22 a week for personal expenses like a newspaper, having your hair done) and usually people apply for attendance allowance

Original poster
jimijack · 21/02/2015 10:26

Postchild, unfortunately there is a huge backstory to this involving fil getting the family into a shit load full of debt. This has resulted in my dh taking over fil s finances. (Fil is in full agreement to this, in fact has embraced it as he has more money to do with as he pleases than he ever did with secret maxed out credit cards & loans)
He does not think beyond his next purchase so has made no funeral provisions or anything.

You can probably tell that I have zero respect or time for the man & will NOT pay a penny towards his future after what he has cheerfully and selfishly done to His own family for decades. No way

OP posts: