Mature Times - Paying For Care

Many older care home residents "being stung" for fees

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:15:14 +0000

New research by the charity Age Concern has shown that vulnerable older people needing residential care and their families are being unfairly stung for fees costing thousands of pounds per year. Their findings also reveal that local authorities in most regions are not paying the market rate for care home places - thereby forcing older people and their families to plug a funding gap totalling some half a billion per year.

Care fees: who should be paying the bills?

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:48:49 +0100

Every year tens of thousands of people are forced to sell their homes to pay for care fees. But should they really be paying at all when their needs are primarily medical? In the first of a series of articles for Mature Times, John Harrison - a specialist lawyer with 23 years’ experience in the field of asset protection - shares his knowledge of “the system”. We’ll hear about the ploys that some less than scrupulous local authorities use to persuade people to part with their money. The names have been changed, but the cases are real.

Call to end paying for Alzheimer's care

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:42:24 +0100

National charity has given its support to the Alzheimer’s Society’s new report "The Dementia Tax - Charging for people with dementia for inadequate care: the evidence for change".

NHS faces £180 million compensation bill over care bills mess

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:17:11 +0000

In a situation described by Help The Aged as "a terrible mess", the NHS is being forced to pay a £180m compensation bill by the Health Ombudsman after incorrectly charging people for long-term nursing care and social care between 1996-2004.

"Care system in crisis" as nation fails to save for later life

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:02:28 +0000

Two thirds of people in the UK say they have no plans to put any money aside to fund their social care in older age. Moreover, when faced with a choice of local authority support, paying for a private service or turning to family and friends, two thirds of people are likely to seek help from family or friends, according to major new research launched today by three leading national charities.

Self-funding residents in care homes being penalized

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:30:59 +0000

Older people forced to sell their homes to pay for care are being penalised by rising care costs and having to use the proceeds from their former homes to prop-up a failing care system.

Facing care home fees? Take control of the situation

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:43:58 +0000

A highly useful book about care home fees has been published by John Harrison, a specialist private client lawyer with 23 years experience in private practice. Called "The Layman's Guide to the avoidance of care charges", it is already into a second edition, and lists more than 50 legal, ethical and practical arguments and strategies that can be used to challenge a claim by a local council that they are entitled to take an individual’s assets (both capital and or income) to fund care home fees.

John tells Mature Times why he wrote the book.

Join us today for a webchat on Long Term Care funding.

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:51:11 +0100

One in four of the UK population will require some form of long-term care in their lifetime - and funding it can be an emotive, complex and expensive prospect. That's way it's important to consider all the funding options available to ensure that assets are suitably protected - however with so many issues to make sense of there is no one size fits all solution.

Join us for a webchat aimed at those with parents approaching their later years and also those who want to make sure they and their family don’t have to foot a large bill when they need extra care provision.

New guide to direct payments for those needing care

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:05:58 +0100

The national charity Counsel and Care has published two step-by-step guides to using direct payments for older people, their families, carers and involved professionals.

New website will help raise standards of care homes

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:46:40 +0100

A new website has been launched, designed especially to help care home professionals - from assistants to inspectors - to improve standards of care.

Are you claiming YOUR full assistance allowances?

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:50:14 +0100

Did you know there is an Attendance Allowance available for people aged 65 or over who are ill or disabled and need help with personal care or supervision? If you, or the person you care for, are ill or have a disability, then you may well be entitled to assistance. Age Concern is urging everyone to claim what is rightfully theirs.

Paying for care: new capital limits now apply

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:49:16 +0100

If you, or someone you know is about to embark on long-term care, then you should know about the recent increases in capital limits.

Financial spotlight: planning to pay for long-term care

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 14:27:01 +0100

Many people worry that their local authority could take all their wealth, including investments, cash deposits and home, to pay the costs of funding their long term care.