With the government’s Green Paper on Adult Social Care finally seeing the light of day we see a mixed bag of politically neutral proposals that face a longer journey into the light than the Green Paper itself.

As Karen and Tim outline below, the consultation period runs until November, we then await the White Paper, the publication of which may well follow a general election and change of Government.

This may sound an extremely bleak proposition but then, with the Government encouraging what it calls ‘The Big Debate’ on the the reform of Adult Care and Support in England, the electorate have the opportunity to turn this to their advantage.

By engaging in the debate, individual voices may shape the future. The results of the debate will provide fuel for any party’s manifesto into the next election, the *demographics tell us that by 2014 over 65 year olds will overtake under 16 in the UK and the over 65’s are the most likely to vote.  This fact will not escape the attention of any political party.

This presents each and every concerned care recipient, their family, care providers, charities and agencies to  make their feelings known and to drive home the need to make change to the care system a top political priority.

As a Care Fee Specialists, the prevailing comment we hear from  the families and loved ones of those receiving, or about to receive care, is the lack of a single agency to guide them through the practical process, let alone the funding.

The frustrations felt by having to deal with several different agencies, none of which seem to have the ability talk to each other, often leaves relatives drained having repeated the same story 2 or 3 times.  It is hard not to blame the individuals within these agencies but they are simply working within a system over which they have no direct influence.

You may be going through this process now for someone, you may be concerned for yourself or a relative, whatever your circumstances, your opinion matters.  Make your thoughts on the proposals put forward in the Green Paper count, The Wealth Care Partnership encourages everyone to engage in the debate.

I shall be lobbying my own local MP, Jeremy Brown, with my thoughts and am tremendously interested in hearing from you with your comments, indeed I’ll be happy to pass those on for the debate if you wish, you may contact me direct on rene@twcp.co.uk.

Remember you have until 13 November to make your voice heard and to ensure you influence the future of care in the UK, PLEASE don’t miss the opportunity.

*Government Actuary Dept 2003 projections

Many elderly people who need long term care are reluctant to leave the familiar surroundings of their home, full of memories and possessions. Some are forced to spend many lonely hours, without any companionship or assistance. Many are subjected to poor care services, neglect and/or abuse. These are vulnerable people, who should be given the level of care they need, so they can retain their dignity and be happy in the twilight of their lives.

Our experience in advising the elderly and their families is that it is common for them to feel they have no choice of who provides care and where it can be received. It is somehow accepted that low standards of care at home is the norm and you simply have to put up with it and continue to pay high fees. The average hourly rate for care at home in England is £14 per hour and this can put a strain on the capital, particularly in difficult economic times.

The fact is, those who are self funding their care (anyone with assets over £23,000 – England 2009/10) have the choice of who provides their care. Anyone who is being funded by their local authority can also choose their care provider, but family members may have to pay towards the additional costs. No-one should accept low standards of care and everyone has the right to replace poor carers with those they trust to care for them properly.

As highlighted in the Panorama programme “Britain’s Home Care Scandal” there are some companies who fall short of expected standards for carers at home and the regulator must raise the bar to ensure services improve dramatically. However, there are already excellent home care providers that we are aware of. These supply fully trained carers, many of whom live with the elderly person concerned providing them with companionship, housekeeping, social and nursing care.

We provide financial advice to those who need to fund long term care. It is even more important now that investments are not performing and interest rates are so poor that those with a little bit of capital who fund their own care obtain advice from a specialist care fees adviser. By protecting the assets from erosion, the elderly person can have total peace of mind, flexibility of who provides the care, and can retain their dignity. They may even be able to leave an inheritance for their families once they have passed away.

We have lots of useful tips and information on our website www.twcp.co.uk and you can request a free guide. The new 2009/2010 guide provides essential information on:-

Planning ahead

Local authority support

Asset disregards & deferred payment option

State benefits

NHS continuing healthcare & NHS-funded nursing care

Local authority funded cases and third party top up

Equity Release

Care at home

Selling or renting the property

Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney

Can you afford the care?

Deputyship and the Court of Protection

Immediate Care Plans – A solution to the problem

True stories

This is a very specialised area of advice, so don’t leave it to chance. For trusted advice when you need it most talk to us today.

Paying for the cost of care in difficult economic times.

Going into a residentual care home is a difficult enough decision for the individuals and family concerned, but this decision is becoming even more difficult with the pressures built by the uncertainty in the economy.

Let there be no doubt that care home costs are going to rise above the cost of inflation.

To run a good care home you need trained staff, a quality building with enough space for the residents, good food and a good heating system. Increased regulation has meant that staffing levels have had to go up and these staff, who have typically been offered low wages, are looking for higher pay. Food costs are on the increase and energy bills are rising. As a result the cost of care is increasing.

Faced with these increased costs, the difficulties are further enhanced because there is a slump in the housing market which can effect the sale of the home. Many people are not getting what they thought their property was worth, that is if they are lucky enough to receive an offer. New residents who are going to pay for their own care fees – the Local Authority will only start to fund residents who have capital of less than £22,250 – are often concerned about how they can meet the cost of care and whether their savings are going to last until the property is sold.

It is true that the Local Authority may help some families for the first 12 weeks in care and they do offer an interest free loan facility through a deferred payment scheme. The problem here is that the first option does not last indefinately and with the second a debt is being built up.

Given these concerns our office is now increasingly busy with callers worried about how they can cap the cost of their, or their loved ones, care fees. The answer to this is to purchase an Immediate Care Plan – a special type of annuity to fund the cost of care. If there is not sufficient capital to purchase the care plan but you are waiting for the house to be sold, it is possible to borrow funds from a specialist company.

If you are concerned about the increasing cost of care please give us a call on (Freephone) 0800 6528232 or visit the website www.twcp.co.uk

It is quite common now for people to consider gifting the home so that the state can fund the care for the elderly people concerned. Indeed, I have just put the ‘phone down from a conversation with someone whose grandmother requires care and she has a property worth around £475,000 and £20,000 in cash. He wanted to know how she could gift the property into trust and avoid paying for her care. The chances are, this will not work. The local authorities are likely to consider this an act of Deliberate Deprivation. If the gift takes place within 6 months of needing care they have the power to recover any sums which have to be paid for care as they will consider the gift never took place, but there is no time limit as to how long after any assets has been gifted that they can take them into account.

Having advised on care fees planning for many years, it is my experience that this step can leave the elderly people in a more vulnerable position. Who really wants to lose their financial independence as well as their choice of care provider, by looking to be funded by the local authorities? What about the care providers, who are forced to accept payment well below their level of fees required to provide a quality level of care to their elderly residents, or ask for family members to top up the local authority payment?

By far the best route to keep your financial independence and peace of mind that hard earned capital is not eroded, is to purchase an Immediate Care Plan (ICP). We set up these plans to cover the difference between the elderly person’s income and the cost of care and the ICP will pay that benefit, totally tax free, to the carers, for as long as that person lives. It can be set up to increase each year, to help keep pace with the increase in fees, and capital protection can be purchased also to cover situations where the elderly person dies shortly after purchasing the plan. These plans protect the assets from erosion and the remaining funds can be invested in a low risk growth investment, which can be allowed to roll up and could pass to the family once the elderly person has died.

So many people embark on financial planning for elderly in care without seeking expert advice. It is essential that advice is sought not only from advisers with CF8 qualification, but those who actively work in this market. It is a minefield and you can get caught out if you haven’t properly planned your route.