Act now to claim unfair Care Home fees as Department of Health sets new September 30th 2012 deadline.

The UK’s ageing population has ignited a huge demand for care and of course this means that some of the big questions remain unanswered – such as, who will pay for it?

There are approximately between 400,000 – 500,000 care home residents in the UK, and nearly 50% of these residents have to fund their own care fees.  And with the ever increasing costs and nursing home fees averaging between £500.00-£700.00per week, these costs can quickly release you of nay savings you have.

However, there is a misconception that care home residents must automatically have to pay for their own care. In fact though, anyone that has to rely on care through illness should be assessed for their medical and health needs, as they may be eligible for full NHS funding.

As if the main reason that someone is in a care home is due to their health and nursing needs, the NHS is responsible for the full cost of the care home fees, regardless of the person’s ability to pay.

However, most people are unaware or even understand that this offering or assessment process exists.  As in some cases, people are incorrectly assessed or indeed not at all. So the end result that man, if not most end up paying the care fees themselves.

Upon assessment, if they are deemed eligible for NHS care funding, they could be entitled to a refund. However, in order to start this process and achieve a possible refund, it would be sensible to seek well informed advice from an experienced professional.

Fire facts

It is believed that nearly 2000 fires, 22 that were fatal, between 2009 – 2010 were caused by electric heaters, electric blankets and candles. Click here to view our Security products.

400 caused by electric blankets

372 caused by portable electric fires

236 caused by gas fires

977 caused by candles

Sourced from www.communities.gov.uk

Safety Tips:

• Most local councils offer free electric blanket testing and they should be tested every 3 years and replaced every 10 years. Never use a second hand one.
• Always store electric blankets flat or rolled up. If they are folded, the internal wiring may become damaged.
• Portable heaters should never be left switched on and unattended overnight.
• Keep electrical items such as cookers and microwaves free from grease
• If an electrical product works only now and again or appears faulty or you can smell burning stop using it immediately.
• Avoid placing anything flammable too close to electric heaters
• Test the batteries in fire alarms on a regular basis, at least every 3 weeks and change the batteries once a year.
• Don’t overload electric sockets with too many appliances

For more information such as this please visit: http://www.sec.org.uk/ or http://www.safe4winter.com/ 

Age Concern and Help the Aged are now Age UK (http://www.ageuk.org.uk/) and are always in need of volunteers, especially in their shops.

To find out more about Age Concern personal alarms, then call 0800 77 22 66 or visit www.aidcall.co.uk/personalcare . Several packages are available and you pay a set-up cost followed by a monthly subscription fee. Any profits from this are donated to Age UK.

The silent killer in our homes.

Although CO is colourless, odourless and tasteless CO is a highly poisonous gas, which can be released by faulty fuel-burning appliances including boilers, cookers and fires. Every year in the UK, approx. 30 people die from it and many more are left with permanent brain damage causing memory loss, problems concentrating, or loss of vision and/or hearing.’

Victims usually collapse and lose consciousness very quickly. But in some instances there’s a slow build-up of this invisible poison. The symptoms are – headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, stomach aches and pains – are often put down to flu, food poisoning, viral infections or simply tiredness.

There are two simple measures to undertake:

Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm in your home and take one when you travel on holiday.

8 out of 10 households don’t have CO detectors – and that means they are putting their lives at risk.

Secondly, make sure all fuel-burning appliances are checked and certified annually by registered professionals for your fuel type (for gas, it should be a Gas Safe Registered Engineer, via www.gassaferegister.co.uk ).

Having a CO detector is no substitute for an annual safety check – but never let an untrained person install or maintain any of these fuel-burning appliances.

Other potential sources of CO include oil, wood and coal, according to COCAA (the Carbon Monoxide Consumer Awareness Alliance), an umbrella group of energy retailers, charities and industry, which works with government bodies (lots of useful information can be found on their website, www.becarbonmonoxideaware.com ).

Although carbon monoxide is undetectable, appliances usually show signs that it’s being produced.

To check:

Look at the pilot light of your gas boiler, and you might notice that instead of being blue with a crisp outline, the flames are yellow/orange in colour and ‘lazy-looking’. Other signs include sooting or staining around the appliance, or excessive condensation in the room where the appliance is installed. Good ventilation is always essential, so chimneys should be swept regularly.

Based on all the above, buying an audible CO detector as it’s a small price to save a life.

UK Care crisis – UK has 1 Carer for every 100 pensioners...

Britain has on average 1 carer for every 100 pensioners – a smaller proportion than anywhere else in the developed world, figures recently released state.

According to an international survey undertaken by the OECD in 2011, Ireland has 3 times as many carers per 100 pensioners. The U.S. has five times as many and Sweden has 12 times as many.

The figures, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents industrialised nations, help explain the poor quality of care in many of our residential homes, as well as the appalling standards of home-help services, which last month were described as an affront to the human rights of the elderly.

The number of carers working in Britain has halved since the 1990s. The number of personal carers – including those working in residential homes and home helps – has almost halved since the late 1990s.

In 1998, there were more than 161,000 in Britain.

By 2009, this had fallen by 40 per cent to 97,500. In particular, the number of home helps had halved.

The shortfall of paid carers has left millions of families struggling to cope with looking after loved ones.

 The OECD figures compare full-time care workers, including those based in care homes and those who work in the community as home helps, in different countries.

In the UK, the number of namely ‘personal carers’ – who do not include nurses – employed in 1998 was 161,520. But this fell to 97,465 in 2009, working out at just 1 carer per 100 pensioners – the lowest in Western Europe.

 In residential homes, the number of carers has fallen from 70,752 to 55,701. Home helps have fallen from 90,769 to 41,764, down 54%.

Some Carer and Pensions facts

PENSIONS

Women in their 50s will have to work a year longer to retire at 66 from 2020. The Government is also thinking about raising the retirement age to 67 in 2026, affecting millions more. The reforms of public sector pensions will save £5.8bn, with 65% of which will be paid for by women. A rise of 3 per cent in contributions will cost £450 a year for a woman earning just £15,000.00

And as our population ages, it will only get worse. 11 million people that are alive today in our country will live to 100 years old.

In 30 years from now, the number of over 65s in Britain will have increased by 6million, or more than 50%.

And by 2041, there will be just 2.5 workers in this country for every retired person. thus increasing the spend on the pensions bill and health and care provided to the elderly.

CARERS

More than 6m people care for a friend or relative, and 69 per cent of them are women. They can claim an allowance only if the person they care for has Disability living Allowance, but this is being cut by £1.4bn and also fewer people will be able to qualify for it.

The 2011 Budget for Pensioners 

In the 2011 Budget, pensioners saw up to £100 knocked off their winter fuel assistance payments, whilst the next generation may probably have to wait until age 70 or 71 for a State pension.

Additionally, the Government is abandoning bonus winter fuel payments given to pensioners since 2008.

Pensioner households will receive £200 this winter (£300 where someone is aged over 80), down from £250 and £400 in 2010.

But the Chancellor did preserve the link between retail prices and the higher age related personal tax allowances for pensioners. The 2011 Budget also committed the Government to move towards a single State pension of £140.00 a week.

This will replace a jumble of existing State pensions and means-tested benefits, but will only go to those retiring in the future. Today’s pensioners will continue to receive income under the existing system.

A flat rate pension is deemed good for those approaching retirement as this will give them some financial certainty. A move to a universal payment will also mean the end of contracting out of the State Second Pension, raising National Insurance bills for millions of members of final salary company pensions.

 The Chancellor also stated he wanted to create a new ‘automatic system’ to link State pension age to changes in longevity. The State pension age is already rising to 66 by 2020, with increases to 67 by 2036 and to 68 by 2046 also planned.

 But an automatic mechanism could accelerate the change and push State pension age to nearer 70. This will also hit most public sector workers as their retirement age in future will be linked to State pension age.

Some Insurers say the average life expectancy for a man aged 65 has risen by more than five years over the past 30 years, suggesting the State Pension Age might need to rise to 71 for those born in 1970.

Caught in the Care costs trap

The elderly in care have to deal with falling house prices, low interest rates and soaring care home fees.

Increasing numbers are facing heart-breaking decisions of risking their children's future inheritance to pay for their parents care.

These families are caught in a generation trap which has forced them to choose between moving a parent from a good care home where they are well looked after, or digging into savings set aside to give their own children the best start in life.

The situation is made much worse by cost-cutting local authorities. Private care homes are increasingly charging higher fees to self-funders to subsidise low payments for council-funded tenants.

The gap between the cost of care and what local authorities are prepared to pay is growing. As we are hearing of and seeing ever increasing numbers of people who are having to use their life savings to pay the difference when Mum or Dad runs out of money.

In the past 5-6 years alone, the gap between the income families have available to pay for care and the fees charged by homes has increased dramatically for those in residential homes.

For those in nursing homes, the affordability gap has widened by 200% over the same time period as fees for care homes have risen by more than 20% since 2005 alone.

This widening gap has been caused by a mixture of falling incomes and increasing care home fees.

5-6 years ago, fees for nursing homes were £29,851 a year on average, now they can be as much as £36,036 — an increase of 20.7% — according to healthcare analyst Laing & Buisson. Costs for residential care have risen from £21,546 a year to £25,896 on average, a 20.2% increase.

Meanwhile figures from the Department for Works and Pensions show the income a 75-year-old can expect to receive has been slashed by 27%. Their average income is now just £15,574 against an average £19,843 in 2005.

This sum is made up of benefits, the State pension, private pensions and interest on savings. It includes interest on the proceeds of the sale of their homes which those funding their own care are forced to do to meet fees.

The main cause of this drop has been the precipitous fall in savings rates from around 6% to less than 0.1%. Annuity rates being offered on pension savings have also fallen. And prospects for families coping with putting parents into care are made grimmer by the stuttering and near unpredictable housing market.

Creating a system which is both affordable for individuals and taxpayers, and for people to have better options for protecting their assets from the risk of very high care fees.

Falling or unpredictable house prices, low interest rates and all round above inflation increases in care costs. This can quickly deplete their capital and land them at the door of local authorities who are already cutting back on their spending.

As once the savings of residents of care homes falls to £23,250, the council then must start helping.

In Scotland, the limit is £22,750 and in Wales, £22,000. One of the problems is that cash-strapped councils are limiting how much they're prepared to pay for places in a home in their area. This leaves self-funders being charged more to subsidise those paid for by the local authority. Therefore, increasingly, the families have to step in and pay the difference between the council's set rate and the care home's fees once their elderly relatives run out of money.

Families should take specialist financial advice to make the best use of savings to cover care costs and so receive all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Have you been left hacked off with your bank in relation to your responsibilities as a carer, attorney or deputy?

Carers' Rights

Apparently, research suggests that 3 in every 5 people will possibly become a carer  -  most commonly to a partner, spouse or parent.

Where there is cognitive impairment, carers frequently need to oversee their financial affairs.

The most common way to manage this is to set up a lasting power of attorney (LPA). LPAs must be set up while people still have mental capacity and can appoint attorneys themselves. They take at least three months to register and are usually designed to become effective only later.

LPAs replaced enduring powers of attorney (EPAs) in October 2007, but pre-2007 EPAs do still remain valid.

It is different when the person you care for is already unable to manage. In these circumstances the carer can be appointed as deputy through the Court of Protection.

Banks should recognise LPAs and deputies and help in the operating of accounts, but there are problems. As carers are sometimes met with bank cashiers who do not understand or accept the LPA.

A British Bankers' Association booklet describes how banks should deal with attorneys and deputies (via www.bba.org.uk ) and also how to complain if they don't.

Other sources of information include the Court of Protection (via www.hmcourtsservice.gov.uk ) and charities Carers UK (via www.carersuk.org ) and The Alzheimer's Society (via www.alzheimers.org.uk ).

Care Home fees cost possibly more if you are private.

It is an unfortunate fact, that people who have paid their way all their lives are being forced, or are left with no option but pay for their care home fees. But in addition are also having to subsidise free care home places awarded by local councils.

It has been reported, that some residents are having to pay out up to an extra £10,000 a year more for the same rooms and care standards as the residents that are financed by local authorities.

Currently in England, people with assets (including their homes) worth more than £23,250 must pay their own care home costs. Therefore, approximately 170,000 of the UK's 380,000 care home residents pay their fees without any council subsidy - however do so only by selling their homes and using their life savings.

It was reported that during 2010 nearly 22,000 pensioners sold their properties to meet their care home fees. Since then, there has been significant local authority budgets cut so things are only expected to get worse. As many councils will either freeze or reduce the rates they pay for residential care in the next financial year.

Within some care homes, on average, the fees for a privately-funded resident were often between £100.00-£200.00 more per week.

A baby born last year is 8 times more likely to live until 100.

A baby born in 2011 is almost 8x more likely to reach 100 years old than the childs great grandparents.

It would have a 29.9 per cent chance of becoming a centenarian, according to the Office of National statistics.

A child born in 1931 had just a 3.8 per cent chance.

Twenty-year-olds are 3x more likely than 80-year-olds to reach the landmark. By 2066, there will be at least 500,000 Brits aged 100 or over.

The figures revealed the full extent of Britain's ticking pensions timebomb.

Pensions minister Steve Webb said last year: "These figures show just how great the differences in life expectancy between generations really are.

"The dramatic speed at which life expectancy is changing means that we need to radically rethink our perceptions about our later lives.

"We simply can't look to our grandparents' experience of retirement as a model for our own. We'll live longer and we'll have to save more."

A report published last year says up to 14 million people retiring after 2020 will end up with pensions far smaller than their parents.

Care Costs Revolution

On July 4, 2011, the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, set up by the Government in July 2007 as an independent body to make recommendations on how England and Wales can achieve affordable and sustainable funding for care and support for adults in England, reported its findings to the Government.

The commission was chaired by Andrew Dilnot, an economist and broadcaster.

The bills for caring for us are soaring. 25% of people aged over 65 can expect a bill of over £50,000 – one in 10 can expect a bill in excess of £100,000

The recommendations, if adopted by the Government in full, would mark a pivotal change in direction in the payment of care fees for the elderly in England, and would be the most significant change for decades.

The current system of paying for care provides that anybody wanting care, be it in their own home or in a care home, are financially assessed and if they have assets worth more than £23,250 (including the value of the home) then they would be responsible for the costs of their care in full until the individual's assets drop to £23,250.

This is in contrast with the Scottish system, under which the cost of care is met fully by the state.

It has been widely accepted by the Government that the current system of charging is unfair. The bills for caring for us are soaring. A quarter of people aged over 65 can expect a bill of over £50,000; one in 10 can expect a bill over £100,000.

Among the recommendations in the report to the Government are:

That the individual's lifetime contribution towards their social care costs, which are potentially unlimited, should be capped. After the cap is reached, the individual would be eligible for full state support. The commission reported that the cap should be between £25,000 and £50,000. The commission clearly stated that £35,000 is the most appropriate and fair figure.

The means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for their full care costs, should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000.

National eligibility criteria and portable assessments should be introduced to ensure greater consistency.

All those who enter adulthood with a care and support need should be eligible for free state support rather than being subjected to a means test.

The commission estimates that its proposals – based on a cap of £35,000 – would cost the state about £1.7 billion – less than the cuts being made to public sector pensions.

It is largely agreed that the current system is confusing, unfair and unsustainable.

The combination of introducing a cap in the individual's contributions to their care costs and raising the upper threshold in the means-test would mean that, instead of potentially losing almost all their assets to cover the cost of going into residential care or receiving care at home, no one would lose more than 30 per cent of their assets.

In addition to the £35,000 cap (which, in essence, means that no one would have to pay more than £35,000 toward their care costs) there would also be an additional fixed general living cost contribution of between £7,000 and £10,000 per year. This cost would be towards the so called "hotel" elements of care, such as the room, bed and food, and would be uniform across England.

This would work out at approximately £200 per week and is based on the theory that if the person in care were living in their own home they would still have these costs to pay.

It is expected that the Government will now face lobbying from individuals and organisations to implement these recommendations in full, and will come under pressure to do so without diluting them.

There is a wide expectation that these recommendations, if adopted, will lead to the proliferation of investment products to assist individuals in meeting this care cost, as critics of the report say that some people will struggle to raise the capital in their working life.

The likelihood is that insurance providers and actuaries, if a cap is set at a clearly defined annuity, will be able to develop viable products to allow people to protect themselves against future long-term care costs.

If the report is adopted in full, it would mark the end of the era where individuals are worried about losing their home to pay for care, and they would not be penalised for saving for retirement.

Care fees increase of 14% may force thousands of elderly homeowners to sell their homes.

Thousands of pensioners may need to sell their family homes in order to afford Care fees increases of 14% in residential care fees.

Reports from earlier this year discovered that average care home fees soared by as much as 14% over the 12 month period, thus forcing these families to find hundreds of pounds more every month to meet a possible shortfall.

It was reported that fees are ever increasing because Councils, which fund poorer residents, are cutting the amount they are prepared to pay for them to say in care. This report suggested that private care home operators are making up the difference by increasing prices for everyone else.

In London, where the rises have been the highest, annual average charges are now £35,300, up £4,400 over that 12 month period.

For those who are elderly and who need to go into a nursing home that offers more care and attention, the costs are even greater for them. In the counties to the north of London, the average charges are as much as £45,100 a year.

Across the UK the average residential care home fee is £27,300 – up 5% based on the 12 month period – whilst the nursing home charges increased by 4% to as much as £37,500.00.

The research report by Age UK, revealed a postcode lottery, with pensioners paying far more for residential care in some areas than in other areas.

Whilst average fees were highest in Greater London at £679 a week, in East Anglia they have soared by 12% to £554 a week (£28,800 a year) and in the North East and Cumbria by 11 per cent to £487 a week (£25,300 a year).

It is reported that more than 20,000 pensioners have to sell their homes each year to help pay for the large, ever-increasing costs of residential care. And in doing so, often denying their children any inheritance.

These increases are being fuelled by local council cuts that see extra costs piled on those who pay for their care because they have savings of more than £23,500, whilst those who have no funds for whatever the reason, get all their care free.

At least 20,000 pensioners are forced to sell their homes every year to pay the huge costs of residential care, denying their children an inheritance.

Age UK’s figures, compiled using data from healthcare analysts Laing & Buisson, represent average increases including both the fees paid by local councils for state-funded residents as well as those paid by private payers.

Self-funders pay around £100.00 more for their places than local councils, meaning the fee increases hide the reality that costs for private residents are rising even more steeply.

Economist Andrew Dilnot suggested in his report last year that there should be a cap of around £35,000 to prevent unlimited charges. But there are indications that insurance schemes to enable this would not be in place for another 15 years.

Under funding crisis in care is hitting older people hard and self-funding care home residents are unjustly having to foot the bill for cuts to social care. Care home residents aren’t in a position to move and shop around for more affordable deals.  And for those who self fund, the current low interest rates earned from savings accounts won’t cover these price increases.

Our fear and need for Care

Ask any elderly person and nearly everyone asked will say they have a fear of dying or going into care or a care home.

Going into care can be a real strain and stressful time for all those involved. As it has been the family who have had to make the painful decision that their parent, or elderly relative, is no longer able to look after themselves.

On average care home fees are approximately £2,163 a month, leaving elderly people and their families to worry about how to they pay for them.  One option is to sell the family home to pay these costs. And so selling the family home to pay or sometimes just help for these care costs is quite common.  Another fear is dying without a will, or leaving the family with funeral costs.

A major part of the problem is the sky-high cost of care homes and the worry families have about how this will be paid for — and whether you can get financial help from the State. On average, care home fees are £2,163 a month.

Here, we highlight some of the financial products and alternative solutions that are offered to supposedly help our elderly and vulnerable pay for their Care from their entire life savings.

CARE FEES AVOIDANCE SCHEMES

Nearly all pensioners have worked long and hard all their life and fear thy will lose their home when they have to go into care. Unfortunately, this has been realised by some companies who claim to be able to stop the sale of your home to pay for the care fees . They say that they can do this, by putting the house into a Trust. Usually these firms are unregulated, and when the time does arrive and care is required, it will effectively be completely disregarded.

As Local Authorities have the power to void such schemes if they believe they were specifically designed to avoid paying the care bills. Worse still, this type of trust means that an upfront fee requires payment of easily around £1,000, which once paid the family will not be able to get refunded.

There is currently no time limit on how far back a Council can investigate to see if you have given your house away to avoid care costs. Another reason so many pensioners are convinced to put their money into investment bonds is because sometimes these can be exempt from means-testing.

This specifically applies if they have been set up as life assurance contracts — though critically there must not be any mention of this intention in the contract. And additionally enough money must be put aside to allow pensioners to live and avoid high charges to gain access to their money in these bonds if needed early.

FUNERAL PLANS

Funeral plans are often advertised to older people on the TV and in the newspapers. Many of these people have taken out these plans which pay out a guaranteed lump sum upon your death. This money is then used to cover your funeral costs which costs depend on where you live in the UK.

However, it is important before you take out these plans that you read the small print. As their only value is if you die soon after taking out the policy, as this is when you qualify for the full payout, as also you have paid in only a few premiums. But as we are all living longer — the male average life expectancy is 78, and for women, it’s 82 — many end up paying more in premiums than the policy actually pays out.

In most cases, and after using a calculator, many would have been better off using a simple savings account as they would receive a similar return but, would also have access to their money at all times if they ever needed it. And could also stop paying the premiums at any time they chose.

EXPENSIVE INHERITANCE TAX COVER

Many investors took out life policies to help plan for a set sum payout upon their death. This was done to help them cover the costs of inheritance tax. However, most of these policies have ‘variable’ premiums.

Therefore, after years of paying the same sum each and every month, customers must increase their premiums or face losing a huge chunk of their cash. This is because the underlying investment plan designed to provide their cash payout upon their death isn’t growing fast-enough. And greater life expectancy and longevity means that the insurers that are behind these policies don’t have enough cash to satisfy and cover it. And so simply increase and raise the premiums to cover the shortfall.

This means that many of these elderly people who have these policies won’t realise what is due to happen and will get hit with huge premium increases at a time they can ill afford it.

Many complain that they did not receive adequate advice when they bought the policies, and were also sold them with hugely optimistic growth expectations — and so many will die without having a  big enough cash payout.

WILL-WRITING SERVICES

Most people want to ensure as much of their estate is passed onto their loved ones when they pass away. But these good intentions are often worthless with poor will-writing services.

On average it can cost anything between £70.00-£120.00to write a will, but some people pay hundreds for a similar service if they use the wrong law firm.  As some legal services that includes will-writing can be done by unqualified and unregulated individuals or companies.

SO THE BIG QUESTION WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

Whether it’s funding care home costs, buying annuities, using equity release, or simply deciding what financial products to use, many elderly people feel unable to trust any financial institution with their money. Therefore, honest and impartial advise is the real premium and so always ensure you do your research. An option is the Society for Later Life Advisers via: www.societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk  or call them: 0845 303 2909.

Apart from having specialist qualifications, all its membership has undergone further testing so that they are accredited. So before seeking their advice, check the adviser’s qualifications.

When discussing long-term care, they should hold one or both of the following 2 qualifications: The Certificate in Long Term Care Insurance (CF8) or the more advanced Long Term Care, Life and Health Protection (G80). If considering equity release, where money is taken out of a house using a type of mortgage, the key qualification is ER1. If possible, ensure a relative — and someone who understands what is being said — is always in the room when advice is sought and given.

Ask sensible questions, such as does the product use up all of the person’s available cash? Is there any left over, and is it easily accessible? How much capital will the investment eat up? How much income is it expected to generate? What if the capital falls, is any of the money guaranteed?

Don’t worry if it takes time to understand what you’re being sold. If neither you, nor your family member, has understood the adviser’s explanation, ask again until you do — if they haven’t made themselves clear, it’s not your fault, it’s theirs.

Why we no longer retire by the seaside and moving inland instead.

Traditionally, seaside towns have always been hotspots for retired folk. However, Britain's elderly are now shunning the coastal seaside resorts and their bungalows and moving inland.

They prefer to live inland locations such as Lichfield than by the beaches of Bournemouth, recent demographic data suggests.

Birkbeck, a college of the University of London, found that the retired populations of some seaside resorts are growing slightly and slowly. Several of these resorts saw only an increase of under 10% during the period of 2001-2009.

Some of these coastal towns includes Bournemouth, Dorset and Salcombe, Devon.  Southwold in Suffolk are even losing their older people generation. So the retired population in the Suffolk seaside resort of Southwold is declining.

In the same period, the retired populations of some inland towns have increased, contributing factors are a combination of people moving to them and indeed the elderly not leaving or moving when they retire.  In Lichfield, Staffordshire, the number of those 65+ has increased from 14,500 to 19,600 since 2001.

It is also thought and considered that second-home buyers from London are also pricing the retired population out of the housing market in some of these coastal towns.

During the 1970s, when retired Britons began to make home in the seaside towns, they did because these areas were associated with leisure and a quieter pace of life. But those approaching retirement today appear to have even higher expectations as they've been abroad or perhaps even own a holiday home abroad.  They are also finding better services in some of the smaller inland towns.

The oldest age groups are the fastest growing and the number of those over the age of 85 is expected to more than double from 1.4million to 3.5million within 25 years, figures from the Office for National Statistics state.

Seaside towns were popular in the 1970-80s for people to retire and live in and today many of these people are still alive today because we have an increasing number of elderly people living into their 80s-90s.

So as our elderly population has aged rather than passed away, it has decreased the numbers of apartments, bungalows and flats with sea views that are available. As previously, a 65yr old would move there and perhaps pass away at 74yrs, and so on. And building and planning regulations and constraints on building along the coast have added further pressure on the availability of housing for the retired population.

The rise of the live-in Grandparents in your home and why!

The growing cost of long-term care, rocketing household bills and the inability of first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder will and is leading to a growth in the number of extended family households.

But such arrangements can have implications for the funding of long-term care and inheritance tax, so experts are warning families to get advice.

Currently only 2% of the population live in households where there are three generations or more. This was among the findings in a report by the new Centre for the Modern Family, a research initiative by insurer Scottish Widows (Part of Lloyds Banking Group).

But analysts say tough economic conditions are likely to cause more families to consider this as a way of cutting costs

But whilst offering a parent a place in your home is often done with good intentions, it can have far-reaching consequences and families should get financial advice.

When placing an elderly relative in a Care Home there is a lot of guilt around elderly parents and nursing homes. So more families are considering looking after the older generations at home with them. This area will surely grow as Care and Care Homes becomes even more expensive.

If elderly parents gift money or property to their children when they move in with them, this has inheritance tax implications. As the 7 year rule on gifts applies – after this the gift is considered to be outside your estate for IHT, though taper relief applies after 4 years.

And if an elderly parent sells their property to move in with their child and gifts a lump sum to that child, this could be viewed as ‘deliberate deprivation’ by local authorities if that parent later needs to go into care. This is because authorities will assess a person’s wealth and assets when awarding State funding for care.

Grown-up children who move in with an elderly parent could also leave themselves vulnerable if that property becomes their only home. If the parent needs to go into care, the local authority could demand the property be sold to pay for the care. And if there are other siblings in the family when the parent dies, the property may need to be sold to split the estate.

Based on all the above it is vitally important to communicate to ensure that everyone within the family knows and is aware of what is happening. So always get sound, impartial advice and keep all records of any gifts made etc. As giving away part of their property or estate to their child needs to ensure that they have specialist advice to protect their rights.

For example, you don’t want to be evicted or kicked out of your own home if your child separates and divorces and so needs to sell the property – this happens I know!

Living with elderly parents

Elderly parents tend to move in with their adult children in a crisis – when they have become ill, had a fall and are unable to remain in their own home. So this isn’t well planned and tends to be long term when there is no other option. And the suggestion of a care or nursing home is out of the question financially. And also because the last thing the parent wants to do is leave their family home, or see it sold to finance their care home fees.

This means though that the adult parents are left as 24hour Carers and the elderly parent is both relieved at finding a loving and caring environment but is also guilty for the upheaval they have caused.

Should you have to care for an elderly parent then please remember the following:

• Once the crisis has passed, revisit and discuss all options openly on how best to continue living together. As also ask the elderly parent what they would actually like to do, as opinions change.

• Never presume, patronise, or ignore their thoughts.

• Get help in the event of an elderly parent’s extreme needs and dependency such as respite care to allow you to relax and continue caring once the batteries are charged.

Act now to claim unfair Care Home fees as Department of Health sets a new deadline to do so.

It is reported that literally thousands of people could lose out in getting back care home fees they wrongly paid due to a new deadline for claims.

The Department of Health recently announced that families fighting for repayment from the NHS for nursing home fees they were wrongly charged for sick and unwell relatives will not be allowed to make a claim in 5 months time – at the end of September 2012.

www.mobilitycareaids.co.uk

Those disputing fees paid between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2011, must register their claim before September 30^th 2012.

The legal profession has warned that thousands could lose out as they are still unaware of the scheme and that they can even make a claim at all. And often, some cases are even  rejected unlawfully.

The NHS should pay for the full cost  of care if the primary reason a person is in a care home is because of their ill health, this was after a 1999 Court of Appeal ruling.

And it is even reported that some families who have been granted NHS continuing care costs have had them removed unlawfully.

Meaning that thousands of people across England have been wrongly charged for care and in many cases they have been forced to sell their family home to cover the Care Home costs.

Therefore, this will be their last chance to ask their Primary Care Trust for a review of care home fees paid from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2011.

People that have had to pay for their care between April 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012 will need to register their claim by March 31st, 2013.

It is projected that as many as 100,000 people could qualify for NHS continuing care, which applies whether the eligible person is in a hospital, a care home or eve in their own home.

However, very few receive the benefit as The Department of Health national guidelines on who qualifies for health needs are subject to interpretation by individual NHS trusts.

For example, this means that many families who need nursing care for conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease or even after suffering a stroke are being wrongly charged.

Many are denied funding by Primary Care Trusts — who pay the care bills — because the  disease does not make the patient eligible automatically.

Under the current system, where a person has contributed to their fees for care from April 2004 onwards, they may be entitled to a reimbursement, even where the person who was cared for has since died.

However, since this deadline has been introduced without contacting the families who may be entitled to a reimbursement, people could miss out on the opportunity to reclaim the money to which they are entitled.

Have you been paying nursing or care home fees since 2004?

Does the patient have Alzheimer's or Dementia?

If you or your relative are in a care home due to health needs you could be entitled to NHS Continuing Healthcare to cover the cost.

Claims can be made for you or a relative, even if they have sadly passed away. Claims can be backdated to April 2004.

www.mobilitycareaids.co.uk

Care Sector Funding Report

Older people could finally be released from the burden of seeing most of their savings or the house they love being used to pay for long-term care. A key Government Commission was reported in mid 2011 on the best ways to ensure a fairer split of the costs of long-term care between individuals and the State.

Under the present strict means-tested rules some care residents and their families end up paying huge sums towards long stays in care. One in five pays more than £100,000.

But the Commission on the Funding of Care and Support, chaired by economist Andrew Dilnot, recommended a cap on the maximum paid by any one person.

If approved this would see the State stepping in to pay towards help with care bills once someone has spent a set sum – possibly £35,000 or £50,000 – from their own funds, regardless of how much they still have in the bank. But the care resident would still be expected to cover their 'hotel stay' costs for board and lodging in a home.

The Commission also called for more insurance and savings plans to help cover potential care bills.

There are already fears that the Government will put Dilnot's proposals to one side, which could cost the Treasury up to £2 billion a year extra.

Whatever the Commission suggests, it will do very little to help those families already facing the everyday challenge of paying for care today. Any new legislation is unlikely to come into force until 2014 at the very earliest.

The cost of residential care can range from anything from £25,000 to more than £50,000 a year, depending on the location and the standard of the care home.

Income from State and occupational pensions will go some of the way towards the cost. Care residents are also likely to be entitled to benefits such as Attendance Allowance.

But families are still left with a substantial shortfalling between their income and the monthly bill of the care costs. This means that for thousands of people each year, that selling their home is the only option to meet these costs.

Once a property is sold, all the sale proceeds can be invested to provide an income. Alternatively, they might be used to buy a care annuity, which provides a taxfree payment direct to the care home for as long as someone lives.

Some local authorities will offer a deferred payment scheme, where they cover the cost of fees, but then take a charge against the care resident's home and collect what is owed when the property is sold.

www.mobilitycareaids.co.uk

Means testing explained:

Current rules on funding care mean that tens of thousands of families are forced to run down their savings each year to pay for care bills.

Local authorities assess your wealth when you go into care. The means-test includes most types of savings and investments and, after a 12-week initial period, the value of your home.

The home is only disregarded if a spouse, dependent child  or other relative aged 60 or more lives there.

If your total assets are above a higher capital limit – £23,250 in England and Northern Ireland – you get no help.

Between this and a lower limit – £14,250 in England and Northern Ireland – there is some help. Below the bottom threshold, bills are paid in full. The picture is complicated as each of the four home nations has different rules.

In Scotland, the capital bands are £23,500 and £14,500 while in Wales there is a single limit of £22,500, below which you qualify for help.

But some State help is not means-tested. Most of those needing residential care qualify for Attendance Allowance, paid at either £49.30 a week or a higher rate of £73.60 a week if you also need help at night.

In Scotland, care home residents may instead qualify for a weekly personal care payment of £159 instead of Attendance Allowance.

www.mobilitycareaids.co.uk

Do you want to live until you are 100?

Here are 7 simple steps that should help you reach the age 100.

Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the most important factors for living a longer life.

Many people could live to the age of 100 by following seven simple steps, according to a leading heart doctor.

Dr Clyde Yancy, a Canadian cardiologist says changes to lifestyle such as keeping a healthy weight, not smoking and controlling your cholesterol levels are an easy way to add an extra decade or more to your life span.

He said 90 per cent of people could live to the age of 90 and even reach 100 by following his advice. The other steps are regulating blood pressure, managing diabetes, eating a healthy diet and getting active.

These steps could also save billions of pounds for the NHS by reducing Britain’s biggest killer, heart disease, and the rising levels of type 2 diabetes associated with obesity.

‘Achieving these seven simple lifestyle factors gives people a 90 per cent chance of living to the age of 90 or 100, free of not only heart disease and stroke but from a number of other chronic illnesses including cancer’.

Dr Yancy is a professor of medicine and chief cardiologist at the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Dr Yancy said that less than 1 in 10 Americans follow the seven steps.

The number is thought to be slightly higher in Britain as our obesity levels are lower but still the highest in Europe with two-thirds of adults now overweight and a quarter are clinically obese.

There are nearly 2.7m people living with heart disease in the UK and it kills one in five men and one in seven women – equivalent to 250 deaths every day.

Around 200,000 people die each year from conditions related to circulation, including strokes, heart attacks and heart disease, costing the NHS £30bn a year.

The risks of all these could be reduced by controlling high blood pressure, which is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it has no symptoms.

The 7 important lifestyle changes:

1. GET ACTIVE: Inactivity can shave almost four years off a person's expected lifespan. People who are physically inactive are twice as likely to be at risk for heart disease or stroke.

2. KNOW AND CONTROL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS: High blood cholesterol can lead to the build up of fatty deposits in your arteries - increasing your risk for heart disease and stroke.

3. FOLLOW A HEALTHY DIET: Eating a healthy diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables is one of the most important things you can do to improve your health.

4. KNOW AND CONTROL BLOOD PRESSURE: High blood pressure is often called a 'silent killer' because it has no warning signs or symptoms. By knowing and controlling your blood pressure, you can cut your risk of stroke by up to 40 per cent and the risk of heart attack by up to 25 per cent.

5. ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT: Almost two thirds of Britons are either overweight or obese - major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Being obese can reduce your life span by almost four years.

6. MANAGE DIABETES: Diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), coronary artery disease, and stroke, particularly if your blood sugar levels are poorly controlled.

7. BE TOBACCO FREE: Half of all long-term smokers die early from smoking-related diseases, including heart disease, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. As soon as you become smoke-free, your risk of heart disease and stroke begins to decrease. After 15 years, your risk will be nearly that of a non-smoker. 

Dr Yancy said physical inactivity can shave almost four years off the expected lifespan and it should be combined with a healthy diet.

Studies suggest only a third of British adults eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and more than a third regularly exceed guidelines for alcohol intake.

However he added there was hope of reversing the rising tide of health problems saying: ‘The opportunity for prevention is not an unrealistic expectation. Over the past 40 years the rates of heart disease and stroke have steadily declined.’

Average life expectancy in the UK is now 77.9 years for men and 82 for women.

More people than ever are already reaching the age of 100. An estimated 12,640 pensioners are centenarians, five times as many as in 1980 according to the Office for National Statistics.

People are living longer in the UK

Life expectancy in Britain has increased at a slower rate than most of our European neighbours – thanks to our poor record on cancer survival and high levels of obesity.


Survival rates for breast, bowel and cervical cancer are among the worst in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents industrialised nations.

Britain's low survival rates for some forms of the disease are partly to blame for a slower increase in life expectancy in the UK compared to Europe. The UK's poor performance is also down to our high levels of obesity which lead to many deadly conditions like heart disease. This comes despite the fact that Britain spends more than the average OECD country on health.

The organisation’s report found that the average Briton enjoys an extra 9.6 years of life than they did in 1960. But this is far less impressive than the rise of 12 years seen in Italy and Spain.

An OECD’s report named "Healthcare at a Glance" also found:
UK men are still the fattest in Europe, although British women have been overtaken in the obesity stakes by Ireland;

The country with the highest life expectancy is Japan (83). British women can expect to live to the age of 82.5 – up 8.8 years in the past 50 years, but lower than any country in Western Europe except Denmark.  Men have a life expectancy of 78.3 years – up 10.4 years.