Frequently Asked Questions About Care

The cost of care home will vary depending on a number of factors:

• Location: care homes located in the South East and in/near London will be most expensive
• Care Type:  Nursing care costs more than Residential Care
• Local Authority funded vs. Private Care: Private Care costs more than Local Authority Funded Care
• Luxury:  Many newer homes focus on supplying services to the higher end of the market with a corresponding price difference

The bottom line is there is such a variance across the country that giving an indicative fee will not help much.  But, it is important to know that homes are now required by law to provide an indication of their care costs on their website. On Greensleeves Care’s website this information is displayed under Key Info tab on care home pages.

If the home does not show their care costs on their website you should probably consider a care home that complies with the law.

Attendance Allowance is a non-means tested allowance that is paid to elderly disabled people to assist with the cost of their long-term care needs.  This essentially means that it is paid to all entitled people without any reference to their personal wealth.

To claim Attendance Allowance individuals, or their advocates, need to complete a Government Form,  which you can find by clicking on the link.  Initially when you see the form it will seem quite daunting, but, it is quite easy to fill in once you get started.

For a more detailed description please read our “Attendance Allowance Blog” which provides a good insight into this important allowance.

If you will be paying for your own care when you move into a Care Home your entitlement to claim Attendance Allowance will not change.  So if you were previously entitled to the allowance you will still be able to claim it.

In most cases the biggest change upon entering a Care Home is that you can claim the higher amount, if you weren’t previously doing so.  This is because people generally decide to move into a Care Home following a change in care needs, and often this change also precipitates qualification for the higher rate.

Also, if you weren’t claiming Attendance Allowance whilst at home it may be time to start doing so now.  Speak to your Home Management team who will be delighted to help you.

For a more detailed description please read our “Attendance Allowance Blog” which provides a good insight into this important allowance.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection in any part of your urinary system, which includes your: kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract — the bladder and the urethra.  However, in some cases the infection can spread to your kidneys which can be very serious indeed.

For a much more detailed insight into UTIs please read our what-are-urinary-tract-infections-utis Blog. 

Symptoms of a UTI include, but, are not limited to:

• Needing to urinate much more often than usual
• Pain or a burning feeling when going to the toilet
• Strong smelling or cloudy urine
• Blood in your Urine (see your GP immediately)
• Painful sensations in your lower tummy
• Feeling drained, tired or unwell
• Many older people also experience serious confusion, agitation and changes in personality or behaviour
• High temperature or fever
• Decreased mobility, balance issues and even falls

For a much more detailed insight into UTIs please read our what-are-urinary-tract-infections-utis Blog.

Unfortunately despite our best intentions it is not possible to prevent all UTIs but there are steps you can take to lesson the risk you will experience one:

• Drink plenty of fluids, improves your overall health and also flushes out your system
• Good toilet hygiene habits including wiping front to back after going to the toilet
• Reducing how much caffeine and alcohol you drink
• Not holding in the urge to urinate
• Try and take a shower rather than a bath
• Always wear loose cotton underwear that provide room to breath

For a much more detailed insight into UTIs please read our what-are-urinary-tract-infections-utis Blog.

The short answer to this question is yes! But, as you would expect it is more complicated than that!

The council tax rules say that a person is exempt from council tax if they have a ‘severe mental impairment’. It says that ‘a person is severely mentally impaired if they have a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning which appears to be permanent’.  Dementia qualifies under this rule, but, under the law an older person must be certified by a doctor as having severely mental impairment.

If you are diagnosed as SMI, this means you can claim:

• A 25% discount – if there are multiple occupiers in a house and one of them qualifies as SMI they can claim a 25% discount on Council Tax
• A 100% discount – if the person who qualifies as SMI lives alone then they will receive a full discount on their council tax.

For more information about this read our “Council tax reduction for someone with dementia Blog“

All Local Authorities have a standard amount that they will pay for an entitled individual towards their care home fees.  Some LAs will be happy to negotiate with the family or the care home above this standard amount, but, as money is becoming increasingly tight more and more LAs do not and stick to their published rate.

Whatever the standard payable rate for your loved one’s condition for long-term care it is likely that this will be the same rate they will pay during the course of a 12 week disregard.

In most cases this weekly rate will be much lower than the Care Home’s actual fees.  Often the home will ask for a “Top Up” which is the difference.

This can be made from the following sources:

• Remaining Savings
• A Third Party
• Or in some cases the home will agree to accrue the difference when property is sold

For more information read our “12 Week Disregard Blog“

A “Third Party Top Up” fee is a very literal description and essentially means a care payment from someone else.  The first 2 parties are the Local Authority and the individual who needs the care and the Third Party is essentially anyone else.

The Local Authority will start helping with your care fees when your assets fall below £23,250.  When this happens Care Costs will be paid from a combination of the following:

• Local Authority contribution
• Personal contribution as dictated by the LA
• Third Party contribution

Therefore, by law you cannot pay the Third Party element yourself.  The third party contribution will come from a family member, friend, charity or other similar source.

Residential and Nursing Care Homes both provide 24-hour care including the provision of support with medication, eating, drinking, washing and dressing, mobility, communicating, cleaning and laundry.  As well as support to live independently, make your own decisions, remain active and enjoy life.  They achieve this with a combination  of dedicated care staff as well as other specialists such as Activity Organisers, Maintenance Team, Housekeeping Teams and Hospitality Staff.

The key difference is that Nursing Homes also have qualified Nurses on hand 24 hours a day to provide more clinical input to the home’s residents.  For those residents with a higher level of complex needs it is important that they choose a Nursing Home.  But, for those people that don’ have that complex need a Residential Home would be more appropriate and would provide a better quality of life.

As with all Government Allowances the level that AA will be paid at changes from time to time, so prior to making any financial decision you should make sure you have the most up-to-date information.  So feel free to look at the Government Website that covers Attendance Allowance.

Currently as of 1st January 2020 it is as follows:

For a more detailed description please read our “Attendance Allowance Blog” which provides a good insight into this important allowance.

Attendance Allowance is not means tested, if you can demonstrate the appropriate care needs you will be able to claim this allowance irrespective of your personal financial position.

For a more detailed description please read our “Attendance Allowance Blog” which provides a good insight into this important allowance.

UTIs are usually caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract system, there are a number of ways this bacteria can enter the system, but, most common is following a visit to the toilet.

The bacteria enter through the tube that carries urine out of the body (urethra); because women have a much shorter urethra than men they are at greater risk of this type of infection.

Good hygiene practices and strict toileting processes can reduce the risk of a UTI but they cannot guarantee you will not become infected.

For a much more detailed insight into UTIs please read our what-are-urinary-tract-infections-utis Blog.

All healthcare professionals would strongly recommend that if you think you are experiencing the symptoms of a UTI you should visit your GP immediately.

Your GP will then run some simple tests to check that you do have a UTI and that it is not something more serious and will then commence an appropriate course of treatment.

But, an undiagnosed and untreated UTI will almost certainly get worse and have an ever greater impact on your health and well being.  This is especially true for older people, so please if you feel like you are suffering with a UTI see you GP as soon as possible.

For a much more detailed insight into UTIs please read our what-are-urinary-tract-infections-utis Blog.

Once your GP has diagnosed a UTI they will probably prescribe antibiotics to treat it.  It is important that you start this course as soon as possible to start the recovery process.

In most cases the symptoms should start to clear up quite quickly and may completely disappear within about 5 days.  It is important though to continue to take the entire course your GP has provided you, because otherwise the infection may come back.

In some cases a very severe UTI may require hospitalisation and the delivery of antibiotics via a IV drip, but your GP will arrange all this if it is required.

For a much more detailed insight into UTIs please read our what-are-urinary-tract-infections-utis Blog.

Often older people’s wealth is tied up in the value of their house and they have less liquid assets, like cash, that they can have ready access to.  Unfortunately, funding residential care can be quite expensive and so people can find themselves unable to pay for their long-term care placement without selling their house.

In these cases the Local Authority will “disregard the value of their house” for the first 12 weeks of any care home stay, to provide the breathing space to sell their house whilst staying safe in a care home.

In short, they will cover the cost of your first 3 months in the home whilst you sell your house to fund the rest of your stay.

For more information read our “12 Week Disregard Blog“

When a Council or Local Authority is paying an older persons care fees, they will normally only pay up to a certain level.  In most cases this is significantly lower than the actual cost of care and what the care home would charge a self funded resident.

In some cases the Home will ask for a “Third Party” to pay the difference between what the care costs and what the LA will pay.

This is one of the most asked questions in care! Unfortunately, it has a really complicated answer!  Because, no 2 people and no 2 families are the same and they all have variances that make their individual  timing unique.

But a good place to start is to ask yourself a number of questions:

• What has caused you to start thinking about increasing Mum’s care?
• What does Mum think about the options?
• What will the impact of caring for Mum ourselves be?
• What does the rest of the family think?
• Will it work for us?

This is too big a question to answer in a rush, so I highly recommend you read our blog on When is a care home right for mum?