We are a unique, free and not for profit guidance service to help families deal with one of the biggest costs you will face in your life. Care fees.
Our service is supported by many different organisations which allows us to provide this service to you without cost.
We can only provide guidance however, that means that we can’t tell you what to do but we can tell you what options are available.
Every year thousands of families run out of money when paying for care. Our job is to do everything we can to stop that happening. Mainly that means making sure people are well informed and make good decisions.
These next few paragraphs will give you a bit of useful information to show you the sort of things you need to know and consider if you have to pay for your care.
But this is only generic information. What you will find most helpful is to discuss your actual position with one of our team who can then provide guidance and information that is relevant to you.
Our service is mainly funded by the care home groups and so is free to families.
If you’re not sure about your own circumstances we’ll be able to help bring simplicity and understanding.
There are up to eight state benefits which could come into play for people who require care. However, if you are paying for your own care then it is highly likely that you will only need to know about two.
The two most common are:
i) Attendance Allowance ii) Funded Nursing Care
Attendance allowance is one of the easiest state benefits to be entitled to. If you are over 65 and can show that you need some help and assistance on a daily basis then you will probably be eligible for attendance allowance.
There are two amounts payable – £59.70 per week if you need help during the day and £89.15 per week if you need help during the night as well as the day.
It is payable to the person who requires care, it’s not means tested and it’s paid tax-free. So well worth having.
Please note, if you are under the age of 65 when you require care then you may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment rather than Attendance Allowance.
The second main benefit is Funded Nursing Care. If you need nursing care as well as personal care then the cost of your nursing care will be met by the NHS. You don’t have to pay anything, you’ve already paid in tax and National Insurance.
If you need nursing care in a Nursing Home then the manager of the nursing home should arrange for an assessment to
take place and, if it is agreed that you do indeed need nursing care, then the NHS will pay the nursing contribution to your nursing home.
In the vast majority of cases there are really only six options for you to consider when deciding which way of paying for care is best for you.
Unfortunately there is no one way which is right for everybody. Each of the six ways has both risks and advantages associated with it. We’ve helpfully put the options under the heading of KEEP PROPERTY and SELL PROPERTY as this is often one of the main issues that need to be decided.
KEEP PROPERTY
1. The Deferred Payment Scheme
2. Rent the property out
3. Equity Release
SELL PROPERTY
4. Put the money in the bank
5. Invest to create income
6. Buy A Care Fee Aunnuity
So there you have it, hopefully we’ve made a decent start at simplifying what at first appears to be a problem of insurmountable proportions.
As we said at the beginning of this post, you will find it refreshingly helpful to have a chat with us about your circumstances. We’ll quickly be able to understand your position and give you some appropriate guidance.
Our contact details are:
0800 055 6225
info@carefundingguidance.org
www.carefundingguidance.org