denotes premium content | Dec 3 2008 Elderly Client Adviser archive
Volume 5 Issue 3
Features
Attendance Allowance, Residential Care and Retrospective Self Funding
Case 1: Mrs C needs residential care. She has a house worth £90,000, but little other capital and a modest income. Her local authority assesses her needs and undertakes to make the care arrangements for her. It also carries out a financial assessment.
Benefit Overpayments and Mental Incapacity
In a recent article (ECA Vol 4 Issue 6 p 26) I set out the detailed legislation concerning the overpayment and recovery of benefit. This article sets out to examine in more depth the position regarding overpayments made to those who are not of full mental capacity.
Equity Release - Latest developments in the market and at SHIP
There is an increasing tendency amongst financial services companies to target the elderly with their products. This reflects demographic trends and the increasing wealth of elderly people as well as rising house prices. Such marketing has its downside, in that the elderly are more vulnerable to mis-selling due to lack of financial awareness, possible failing health and the inability to recover from any financial disasters. Highlighting this risk, the Daily Mail has been running a campaign for tighter standards to be followed in the marketing of financial services to the elderly.
TheTrustee Bill
The Trustee Bill, if passed and when it comes into force, will be a practical answer to some of those tricky issues we all come across from time to time, and a lot else besides. While it includes provisions relating to charitable trusts this overview concentrates on those relating to non-charitable trusts and wills.
When needs are not assessed
Over the last few months I have encountered a spate of clients who have had difficulties in obtaining an assessment of community care needs either for themselves or the person that they care for. Many individuals are asked at an initial screening stage whether the potential service user has capital over £16,000. If this is affirmed then they are told that the social services department cannot be of assistance to them, as the local authority would provide no services. It follows that the individual has to try to obtain services to fulfill his or her own needs. However, It does appear that social services will become involved in cases where individuals have over £16,000 but no family or carers to assist. As a result of the obstacles encountered by the very nature of an individual's infirmity, disability or caring role, it often means that they carry on without getting the support service they need
Care in the Community
Safe or Not?
It is now social services policy to keep people in their homes for as long as possible under the care in the community regime that was brought in by the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, and in Surrey the NHS have set up a home support system so that elderly people do not have to go into hospital unless absolutely necessary. Instead a team of professionals and carers helps to rehabilitate the person, and this may or may not include long-term care at home
