
posted 23rd August 2022
How to Fund Long Term Care
Are you thinking about how to fund long term care for yourself or your relative? Working out how to get financial help for long term care can be confusing. Here is some guidance. Please do ask your local council for a needs assessment and the latest financial detailed information.
If your elderly relative wants to keep their independence and stay at home, they might need home help as well as home care, often known as domiciliary care. You can arrange home care and domiciliary care and pay for these yourself if you prefer.
If your relative wants home care, they qualify for funded financial help if they have less than a fixed amount of savings and investments, excluding the value of their home.
Seek advice on care costs
You can seek advice on care costs for long term care. You can ask your local health authority to review the circumstances with you and your relative. And then if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can ask for a review of the criteria. There are regional independent review panels and Citizens Advice experts if you want to pursue some aspect of your care funding.
Moving to a care home can be expensive. Some people with medical conditions and high dependency requirements receive NHS continuing care. Others require a local authority financial assessment as funding is means-tested. You can contact your local authority to make the necessary arrangements to review the circumstances and the finances with you.
An assessment helps you to know more.
An assessment helps you to know more about the provision of care, contribution to residential care and how much the care costs. It is usual to have to pay some or all of the full cost of care home bills.
Certain benefits that are not means-tested may be available. Care home residents who need help with personal care such as washing or dressing may be able to claim attendance allowance. NHS-funded nursing care is a fixed amount paid directly to the care home or nursing home involved in the care of your relative.
You might also need to consider the disability living allowance. You may want to claim the care component, or perhaps the mobility component, especially if you were claiming before choosing your care home.
People of working age might be able to claim a Personal Independence Payment or PIP. There is detailed guidance for this new working-age benefit system on the government website.
Looking for local home care services in Yorkshire? Look no further than Local Homecare, we provide specialist in home care to residents across Yorkshire including: Leeds, Elland, Otley, Dewsbury, Bradford, Batley, Huddersfield and Wakefield. Our care services include: Complex Care, Dementia Home Care, Domiciliary Care, Hospital to Home, Live in Care, Palliative Care and Social Companionship.
Contact Local Homecare for more information.