Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Elderly parents

Care home fees in Scotland - please explain

3 replies

paintbynumbers34 · 14/06/2024 17:53

I'm just looking for some advice on how care home fees work in Scotland please.

MIL had expressed a wish over 15 years ago to put family home into my husbands name however it never came to fruition. MIL passed away last year and FIL was asked if he would like to move to live closer to us (SE England) however he refused.

He is losing his memory but remains physically quite fit. He has a reasonable amount of assets and money in the bank and we are now querying what the outcome would be if he had to go into a care home. Is there a limit on how much of his wealth goes towards care or is it simply a case of the care home is paid for until there is no money left or ultimately he passes away and it's not required anymore?

OP posts:
botanics · 14/06/2024 18:07

Lots of good info at www.careinfoscotland.scot/topics/care-homes/paying-care-home-fees/

He would have to pay until he reaches the threshold and then the Council will pay. Unfortunately his house will be included in the calculation of his assets so it might ultimately be necessary to sell it.

Dearg · 15/06/2024 21:16

His actual diagnosis will affect how much he ends up paying, as some of the cost may be met by the local council.

So, for example , if he needs personal care ( as most probably do) , help with washing, toileting , etc, this element should be paid by the council as they would if he needed this support at home; if he qualifies for Attendance Allowance at home, this is the equivalent,

If he has medical needs which require nursing, this element will often qualify for funding. So the headline care fee may be ‘discounted’ for these items.

Thereafter, bed and board will be paid out of his assets, which would include pension payments. He will have a weekly allowance ( currently £34.50) and a total savings allowance. Which I think is £23k (?) in Scotland.

Once he is below the limit , the council will pay , but do check that the home will keep him, in the same room, if he becomes council funded, before getting him settled, as it’s not unheard of for residents to have to move when funds run out, and this can be confusing for them.

DH went through the assessment process for MIL but she passed before she was settled. He found the care manager to be very helpful in walking him through it all.

He would have to sell her home as she had very few other assets, but that was expected.

Sorry, that was an essay, but in my very limited experience, a decent and realistic care needs assessment and OT review are key. It needs to reflect their bad days , not their best days IYSWIM.

Hedjwitch · 15/06/2024 21:31

Its bloody complicated. We've just been through all this with my mother. As PP said you will have to sell his house to psy for his care until the money runs down to a permitted level of savings. Care home fees range from 1200 to 3000 a week...at least the ones we looked at did.
Mum didnt want to go into care and hated it,even though it was a lovely place. She lasted 3 weeks and then died.
Make sure someone has PoA . This is absolutely crucial.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread