Up to now my mum (86) has been living in her own house despite having poor mobility and being registered blind. This has been possible because I’ve put in a lot of time and effort supporting her but now she is becoming forgetful and confused and her needs are moving beyond what I can realistically provide in the long run. She also feels lonely and a little unsafe being on her own. So I would like to look into residential care for her. My trouble is I just don’t know where to start. Mum receives housing benefit, pension credit and attendance allowance and has very little money of her own (savings of about £13,000). From what I have read she would definitely be eligible for council funded care. But what I can’t seem to find out is how much this is and how we would go about looking into which care homes might be available to her. Can anyone point me to good sources of advice please? Thank you so much!
Hi Justine.
Best place to start.
AGE UK … the acknowledged experts in this field.
( Link also posted on your thread back in December 2018. )
Everything imaginable available on that site … from the very basics right through to CHC / NHS Continuing Healthcare …
stopping at all stations inbetween.
Factsheets … a virtual bible on various topics as you will find … links to many frequently posted on the forum for all readers.
Link has been posted , it’s there for you to explore … at your leisure.
Your questions await to be answered … benefits / selecting a care home / funding / role of your LA / wills / powers of
attorney / inheitence considerations etc. etc. … even answers to questions you haven’t though of … yet !
Comes complete with contact details and an online virtual assistant !
If you cannot find what you are looking for , you know where we are.
( Severe Disability Premium ? Recall that one ? Thanks to you , added to our arsenal of forum replies whenever it crops
up … especially when it disappears under UC … only for the Courts to now say otherwise ! )
Does mum own or rent her home?
Hi Justine
I’m assuming she rents, as housing benefit is paid to cover rent.
In which case, yes she should be council funded BUT they will not even consider placing her in a residential home unless she has considerable needs which cannot be covered by Carers coming into her home daily to help her. They would probably try this first.
Your first step is to request a care assessment from her local council.
Have you asked her what she would want? Nothing will be done against her will.
Another option is for someone else to pay Care Home fees for her, you and/or other family members perhaps. That way you have choice and control over which Home, but costs are in the region of £1000 A WEEK depending on area.
Yep … assuming your mother is renting , the " Choice " of potential care homes will be severly restricted.
Just like buying a car , many will be out of her " Price " range … said price being determined by the LA.
One of the first factors to explore with the benefit of the AGE UK web site.
Prior to that , if you can get an idea of the initial " LA price " , a post code , rough and ready , onine care home fees
checker for care homes in any area :
Care home fees across the UK explained - Which?
If you have ever used an online calculator for rents / level of housing benefit , this calculator works in a very similar way.
Obviously , costs vary nationwide … when using said calculator for a local contact here in Worksop , cost per week was some
£ 300 cheaper than his prefered manor … a mere 15 miles to the west !
Even then , any vacancies ?
Just like buying a car … would you buy one without seeing it ? Looking under the bonnet ? A test drive / visiting a potential
candidate ? Looking at the paperwork / reviews from the CQC or others ?
Still , early doors … and a lot to ponder on even before approaching AGE UK ?
Thank you very much for the advice, everyone. Yes, mum rents her home. I have discussed with her what she would prefer and it’s because she is losing confidence and feeling lonely, as well as finding it increasingly difficult to manage on her own with worsening eyesight, that she is now wondering whether she would not be happier and feel more secure in residential care. But of course she feels the decision would depend very much on which care home - whether she liked the place, whether it was local enough for her to stay in touch with friends and family, and so on. From what you are all saying the Council funded options may well not be desirable from this point of view, especially she’s in a small town with only three local care homes, one of which is definitely out of range of Council funding. Unfortunately we are not able to pay privately for mum’s care. We have at least started the process by requesting a social care assessment. In the meantime I will do the research you suggest (thank you for the links and for the Age UK recommendation) so I’m better prepared by the time the assessment actually happens.
Thanks again everyone!
Your welcome , Justin.
A needs assessment is a vital start … broach the subject of a possible care home and note the reaction.
( Don’t forget about yourself … a carers assessment ? )
Once that’s done , and the results made know , it will give you a good indication as to the facilities available on your manor.
( SOCIAL CARE … AS OF NOW … NOT BASED ON NEED , BASED ON THE ABILITY TO PAY ! )
Needless to add , the forthcoming Green Paper … " Changes afoot , Watson ? "
" In yer dreams , Holmes … we ain’t got the money ! "
Thanks so much Chris. Just to be clear, West Sussex offers an ‘adult social care assessment’ (which we have applied for). Is this the same as the ‘needs assessment’ you mention?
Yep … academic language as opposed to more blunt language we tend to use in CarerLand.
As with most academic language , like painting a sparrow yellow to be sold as a canary ?
Let us know how matters progress … we do follow most posters in their travels … after all , aren’t we all in the
same " Gulag " known as CarerLand … what affects one , may affect many more ?
A sense of togetherness … all in the mire , some deeper in it than others ???
( Word to the wise … waiting time … a real post code lottery ! )
West Sussex ?
Nyman gardens … home to the UK’s Stewartia collection … now more than a decade since I paid homage !
The key issue is location, mum is covered by the Human RightsAct, the right to a normal family life. It must be near enough for her family and friends to keep in touch. Beware statements about “he council will only pay up to” and get that in writing or email to you.It’s unlawful to have a fixed ceiling. There must be places available in her town with vacancies at that level. I went through all this with my mum!
Oh thank you so much! That is really brilliant help and advice. Mum’s only family and friends in the UK are in her home town as she lived abroad till she retired here 12 years ago. I’m her only relative in this country and I am in a neighbouring village. So I think we have a strong case for her needing to stay local. Thank you!
Your welcome … from all of us.
Keep in touch … you know where we are.