where to get financial advice on care home fees, assets etc?

[bullseyebraces]

PIL have fairly complicated finances - lots of account, different investments in sole names etc. Have tried seeking advice from Silverline and CAB but seems to be out of their depth. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Age UK and maybe a financial advisor?

Age uk might be able to help. Otherwise an independent financial adviser that specialises in elder finances. If you call Just Retirement helpline they might be able to direct you.

I think if its really complicated, then talking to an Independent Financial Advisor or possibly a solicitor who has a special interest in care home cost planning will be necessary.

But I believe that all assets are considered joint for purposes of deciding how much someone must pay towards their fees

Do you, CMOT? Can you tell me more about why you believe that? It's contrary to what the CAB/Silverline have told me.

Feeling slightly panicked now! MIL is 20 years younger than FIL with a tiny pension, which is precisely why investments were made in her sole name. If it all has to be run down to 26k instead of just FIL sole savings etc it leaves her in a difficult place for the rest of her life.

I'm assuming that the question is about how to set things up so that they will not disadvantage themselves in terms of state funding if one or both of them needs to move into a care home?

Elderly Accommodation Counsel is a charity specialising in this, and they have a free advice line which I would suggest you try.

This should help with info on the changes that are coming into place over the next couple of years (e.g. cap on care costs).

The rules about how councils calculate assets etc are set out in statutory guidance, with the lovely acronym CRAG. You should be able to get a pretty good idea of how it will apply to your parents by reading through that.

Don't panic bullseye - according to the CRAG:

"Under the National Assistance Act 1948, the LA has no power to assess a couple, or civil partners, according to their joint resources. Each person entering residential care should be assessed according to their individual means."

Hope you are able to access some specific advice through one of the links.

Thanks very much, will follow up on suggestions.

FIL has actually gone into a care home rather suddenly after rapid decline - self funding - so it's a question of what money MIL can now rely on, what has to go to care home etc.

You might start with AGE UK and this fact sheet

www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and-care/care-homes/deprivation-of-assets-in-the-means-test-for-care-home-provision/

And even more technical www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/practice-notes/gifts-of-assets/

The first has a number of suggestions for further advice. You might also try the Alzheimer's Society forum Talking Point. They have a legal section which seems to get a lot of traffic.