One of the concerns that the aged community and their families have is the choices of care that are available, the costs and how they can pay for care.
The offerings for the aged community when they look at downsizing from the family home and having some assistance, really depends on several factors and considerations;
- Am I able to have support from a partner or family if required
- Is my home suitable for my mobility, both now and in the future
- Do I have any specific care needs
- Can I live at home and if not what care I need, is it possible to live alone with some care?
- Do I need more care, such as a care home and if so, what type of care do I need (residential care, dementia or nursing, as each have different levels of support)
- Can I afford care?
- Do I have the necessary Powers of Attorney in place, should I not be able to make my own decisions?
The different care levels tend to be:
- Retirement or assisted living with some provision of care
- Residential Care home, which may also offer levels of dementia care
- Nursing care
There have been several recent articles about the cost of retirement apartments, where the charges have been a surprise, and the costs are not as simple as they seem. These costs can include:
- Purchasing the property
- Stamp Duty Land Tax on the purchase
- Ground rents (as they are generally some form of lease)
- Service charges (for the maintenance, personnel on site which is usually a Home Manager, (but no carers or housekeeping/catering for example)
- Insurance, internet, energy costs and the maintenance of your own apartment, furniture etc
- On sale of the property, some shared payment of the proceeds (10% is not abnormal) and also Deferred Management Charges
These costs can be substantial and depending on how long you are in the property, can be very expensive on a per annum basis if not in the property for a number of years
Elmfield Care which offers Residential and Dementia Care has a very simple ‘All Inclusive Fee’ structure, where you only pay for the time you are in the home on a weekly rate. Whilst Care Home fees are also not unsubstantial, they include everything from a large Care Team, all hospitality services from Catering, Housekeeping and Lifestyle, as well as an in-house Management Team looking after your loved one, but everything else from internet, maintenance and no other charges.
The one thing that differs from many other care facilities is that we also treat the home as your loved one’s home, and is based on the fact your Mum or Dad would not charge you for a cup of tea or lunch when you came in (at any time), so why would we. The Care Staff can concentrate on care rather than writing out invoices for a cup of tea. However, it also includes everything from hairdressing, chiropody, trips out with our Lifestyle Team and wine and drinks for meals for example. This also helps to make sure that the residents do make use of all we have to offer, rather than veering away from having their hair done, or putting of the family popping in for lunch, a cup of tea or glass of wine with their loved one.
If you want to discuss how simple our fees are, please don’t hesitate to get in touch using the contacts below
