Understanding Means Testing for Care at Home & Live-In Care
For many elderly and disabled people, in-home care is the best solution for their long-term care needs, as it means they are able to maintain a degree of personal independence and live in familiar surroundings, with the support of their loved ones. However, the cost of home care is an important consideration.
As the Money Advice Service points out, even people who have paid National Insurance contributions their whole adult lives may be required to contribute towards their care costs, because social care is managed by local authorities. With that said, means tested financial support may be available to cover some of these costs.
In many cases, for home care provision to be a suitable solution, adaptations to the house itself may be necessary and some level of financial support may be available to help with this too. In this post, we examine the means testing process and the financial aid that may be on offer to those for whom home care is a viable option.
What is Means Testing for Care?
Means testing for care support is a way to determine if you qualify for financial assistance from your local council to help with home adaptations or contribute to the cost of home care (such as live-in carers). A means test will let you know if you qualify for this financial support, and will also help decide how much financial assistance you may be eligible for.
Social Care Needs Assessment
If you require in-home care, or are arranging care for a loved one, the first step is to book a social care needs assessment with your local authority. The assessment is free and is carried out by social services.
How to apply for a care needs assessment?
You can arrange an assessment by contacting your local council social services. You can apply for a needs assessment on GOV.UK.
What happens in a care needs assessment?
During the assessment, either a social worker or an occupational therapist will work with you to determine the extent of care that is required. This assessment may take place in person or over the phone. They will discuss how easy or challenging it is for you to do everyday tasks, such as:
- Getting dressed
- Washing & personal hygiene
- Cooking & cleaning
- Moving about your home
They will also make recommendations for any home adaptations that may be needed, such as equipment, rails, ramps and other facilities associated with providing in-home care for disabled or elderly care service users.
Even if you feel you will not be entitled to financial support, it is important to ask for a social care needs assessment, as this will help to identify precisely what support is required. It may also be the case that financial help is available for disability equipment or other adaptations, even if you have a substantial income.
How to prepare for a care needs assessment
It is really important that you offer as much detail as possible when having your needs assessment. Even if something seems small or insignificant, remember to discuss it anyway, as this may impact the recommendations and amount of support you are given. Remember that the key goal of this assessment is about making life easier for you, so talk about the things that have an impact on your life, no matter the size.
Financial Assessment and Means Testing for Care
After the initial needs assessment is complete, a financial assessment will be carried out. This consists of a means test, which will be used to determine what financial support is available to you and how much you will need to personally contribute towards care costs. For care at home, the value of your home is not factored into the means test.
What happens in a social care financial assessment?
During an assessment, your personal financial situation will be assessed based on multiple factors. These will include:
- Regular income: This will cover earnings, pension payments and any money being received from benefits (although, some disability benefit payments may not be counted against you during your assessment).
- Capital & savings: This includes your overall savings, alongside any investments and business assets you may own.
Typically, if your capital amounts to £23,250 or more, you will be required to pay the full fees for your home care. Capital of £14,250 or less is usually ignored. Capital in between those two figures will usually result in you being eligible for some fees, with your local authority also contributing. Your income will be considered on top of your capital.
How to prepare for a financial assessment for home care
To make this assessment as simple as possible, it’s a good idea to have the following information to hand so you can share it easily:
- Total amount of savings across all bank accounts
- Details of any investments you have
- Information about any assets you own (this could be land, property or vehicles etc).
If you feel it might be a challenge to discuss your finances by yourself, you can have a friend or relative with you for support. You can find out more about financial needs assessments and what to expect here.
Funding For Home Adaptations
In some instances, there may be significant funding available for home adaptations. For example, if it is determined during your initial social care needs assessment that special disability equipment is needed, this will be provided free of charge by your local authority. This also applies to other small changes costing £1,000 or less.
For more significant changes, you may qualify for funding through a Disabled Facilities Grant. This grant can potentially be used to pay for a large number of adaptations, including elderly care facilities. For those living in England, the maximum grant is £30,000 and it may be paid in instalments, as the work is carried out, or as a lump sum.
The Disabled Facilities Grant is means tested and the amount paid out will depend on the specific needs of the individual. Both household income and household savings over £6,000 will be considered during the means testing. The grant is available to both tenants renting a property and to homeowners.
Funding Home Care & Next Steps
Care within the home is often the option of choice for elderly or disabled people, offering them the chance to live confidently and independently. As such, understanding the care assessments and available financial support is crucial in enabling you or your loved one to access this opportunity. Hopefully, we have helped give you a better understanding of what local authorities can offer for the funding itself, how to access this, and also any home adaptations that may be needed to support care provision.
If you or your loved one live in the Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire or Dorset regions and would like to enquire about professional care at home, contact Abbots Care today. You can email us at: info@abbotscare.com or give us a call on 01727 891 004.