As we all live longer and need support sometimes, a care home becomes unavoidable but who pays for it?
For those still at home
- Do you need to consider action to protect your assets from future care home fees?
- What is possible?
- We can help you through these difficult issues.
For those in a Care Home
- The NHS are supposed to pay if there are medical needs and the County Council are supposed to pay if there are social but not medical needs.
- The problem is the criteria they use are different and your hard earned assets are at risk.
- There is a formal assessment process which the NHS should follow and our solicitors help people who unfortunately fall between these two bodies and negotiate with the appropriate one to make sure that what the support you are entitled to is received.
- We also have retrospectively secured repayments for people who should have had care provided but have had their capital drained instead.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
As society changes, and people live longer more people are now considering what problems lie ahead if they need someone to look after their affairs for a number of years.
Our solicitors do of course deal with Wills competitively so that you can be sure your loved ones will not be exposed to rigid intestacy rules when you die but you may not have thought that steps might need to be taken to protect yourself and your family in the event you become incapable of handling your own affairs.
Without a Lasting Power of Attorney, if you become incapable of running your affairs a lengthy and expensive application is needed to the Court of Protection taking many months and meanwhile who looks after your husband, wife or family or pays the rent or mortgage?
Lasting Powers of Attorney can be made long before you become infirm physically or mentally, so that you can direct, in advance, who can look after your money or your welfare should the need arise.
They do not become active until the need arises and they never expire unless you specifically cancel or alter them, which means once signed and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian you have done all you need to do and then you have the peace of mind that it has been taken care of for good.
Once the need arises, your Attorney (who can be a spouse, friend, relative or ourselves), can access your funds straight away and if you need it, make welfare decisions for you, for example, about where you might live or they can access your money to pay the bills if you cannot do this.
The cost of addressing this now is less than you might expect, with prices starting from £395 + VAT (plus a possible registration fee depending on your circumstances).
If you want to talk about this and learn more, feel free to contact us.
