FOOL'S EYE VIEW
Can You Afford Long-Term Care?

By Jane Mack (TMFJane)
November 12, 2002

The other Sunday evening my husband and I were sitting in the kitchen salivating over the smell of the rib of roast beef that was just about to come out of the oven. And then the phone rang.

It was the husband of a relative who lives just around the corner from us. She'd fallen over and he couldn't lift her up. Not surprising really seeing as she's a rather frail 80-year old and he's just had his 86th birthday. She wasn't hurt but apparently she'd been lying there arguing with him for about 40 minutes because she didn't want him to phone us. She didn't want to be a 'nuisance'.

In fact, earlier in the day she'd asked me to do a bit of research about the possibilities of them moving into sheltered accommodation. In spite of her concerns about not 'bothering us', she's not stupid. It's only her body that giving out on her, not her brains.

The trouble is she's likely to need nursing care any time soon – or residential care at the very least - so is it logical to go through all the upheaval of moving to a flat with a residential warden when she might have to up sticks again soon after? And what about her husband? He's getting to the stage where he'll need residential care soon too.

Naturally I've been investigating all the options, ranging from her wearing one of those pendant alarms round her neck, but staying in their own home, to moving to a place where she can maintain her independence and be with her husband but where there is also nursing care on hand should it be needed.

Unfortunately, I've discovered that there really isn't much choice unless you're either very poor or very rich - and this couple is neither. Most of the sheltered housing around our way is owned and run by a local housing association and you have to be 'financially challenged' to get into one of those. The remaining ones have waiting lists if you want to rent and, if you want to buy, you obviously have to wait until one comes on to the market. Either way someone's got to die or move elsewhere before a flat becomes available and, besides, I don't really think sheltered housing is an option for them in view of their frailty.

But finding a nice residential or nursing care home that will also take a husband and wife together is difficult. As far as I can make out there are only two in my neck of the woods. One is lovely but very expensive and this couple couldn't afford it. So that only leaves the other. In view of the (admittedly) outdated inspection report I read about it, I'd be dubious about putting my dog in there – if I had one. But what choice have they got?

They're not going to get any help with the costs either. If you have savings of more than £19,000 then you're responsible for paying the whole cost of care fees.  And that £19,000 includes the value of your house unless you've got a spouse, partner or a relative over 60 living in it.

I feel sorry for them. Financially they've done rather well for themselves over the years and own a nice home and have a respectable income. But it's not going to be enough to enable them to have the choice of living in a decent residential care home. Whist drives and Bingo aren't exactly their cup of tea but it looks like they're going to have learn to like them. I'm not looking forward to telling them their options because I'm not sure they really have any. And I think I might start saving a little more than I am now.

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