PAYING FOR YOUR CARE CAN FEEL DAUNTING. WE’RE HERE TO PUT YOUR MIND AT REST.
Cost is a significant factor when you’re considering any form of care. So knowing your options – from healthcare funding to benefits entitlement – will help you make a better decision and lift a weight from your shoulders. Interestsingly, the cost of Live in Care can be lower than a care home.
ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE
Anyone over 65 can claim Attendance Allowance (AA).
These payments of either £57.30 or £85.50 per week
(2018/19) are non-means tested, tax free and usually
added to pension payments.
They can only be accessed for help for anyone who has
a personal care need.
You can click the link below to start your application
SAVINGS CREDIT
Savings Credit is a reward for those with a modest income who have saved for retirement, and who reached state
pension age on or before 6 April 2016. If you stop being eligible for savings credit for any reason from 6 April 2016, you will not be able to qualify for it again.
To qualify you should have a minimum income of £140.67 a week if you are single, and £223.82 a week if you are a couple.
The way Savings Credit is calculated works like this:
For every £1 by which your income exceeds the savings credit threshold (£140.67 for a single person and £223.82 for a couple), you qualify for 60p of savings credit. The maximum you can get per week is £13.40 for a single person and £14.99 for couple.
If you pay mortgage interest or have other housing costs, or if you have caring responsibilities, or are severely disabled, you may be entitled to even more pension credit. To check your full entitlement, it is advisable to call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
GUARANTEED CREDIT
Guarantee credit is a benefit that tops your income up to a minimum level of £163 per week if you are single £223.82 per week if you are a couple.
To check your full entitlement, call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234. You will need to have ready your national insurance number, your bank account details and information about your income, savings and investments.
COUNCIL TAX DISCOUNT
If your savings are less than £16,000 you can potentially reduce council tax payments (subject to an assessment). With a formal diagnosis of dementia you may be exempt from council tax payments, or will be offered a discount depending on the severity of your condition.
If a council tax single occupancy reduction is being claimed, you will not lose this entitlement if you have a live-in carer.
In England social care funding is accessed through your local authority and healthcare funding is accessed through Clinical Commissioning Groups’ (CCGs). A healthcare need relates to the treatment, control or prevention of a disease, illness, injury or disability and the after care of a person living with these conditions.
Social care funding in England is means tested and a person’s ability to access CCG funding depends on the severity of their health condition.
Click the link below to find out more and how to access an assessment
If you are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare you can either ask the CCG to manage your budget and find suitable care you need, or you can opt to receive a personal budget with direct payment of funds to yourself for you to make your own care arrangements.
A personal budget is the overall cost of the care and support the CCG has decided will be available to you. Direct payments are a funding choice in personal budgets, whereby you receive the payment to manage and organise your own care arrangements, whether that is in your own home or from moving into residential care.
If you manage your own personal budget you will be free to choose the provider you wish to receive care from
Once the inclusive weekly fee is agreed with you, at the assessment there will not be an increase in live-in care costs unless there is a significant change to the care your loved one needs.
Annual inflationary rises in live-care costs are usual practice with all providers in the sector and will need to be considered by families when looking at the longer term. This would be discussed with you at a review.
We know through many years’ experience in helping families to plan long term care and home care funding, that the majority of people wish to live an independent and active life in the comfort and familiarity of their own home and avoid the upheaval of moving into a care home.
Our live in care service provided by highly trained and expert professional carers makes this possible, right until the end of life.
The cost of live in care is comparable to residential care and for couples it is very cost effective. Whilst the fees for residential care and high quality live-in care at home are comparable, whichever you or your loved one chooses you may have to cover some, or all of the cost of care if you are unable to secure local authority or health care funding.
