RegulatedCare Homes, Social Care & Vulnerable Clients
Care Homes and Social Care
Each year, the number of people requiring social care in the UK rises due to increased life expectancy.
Right now, there are 3m people over the age of 85 in the UK and this number is expected to increase to 5m people by 2030, the fastest-growing age group currently.
Social care has never been free, but these demographic changes are resulting in more of us having to arrange and pay for our care ourselves.
It doesn’t make for pleasant reading but…
130,000 more people require residential care each year in the UK.
55% of them are either partly or fully self-funded.
25% or 1 in 4 people run out of money and have to change the way they receive their care.
The average self-funder lives for approximately 3.5 years in a care home according to insurance provider Just.
The social care system in the UK is confusing and complex and differs from county to county and local authority to local authority.
‘My Care Consultant’ was set up to take the away the stress of obtaining and arranging social care and instead provide clarity and help in navigating a clear path towards affordable and suitable solutions.
They can save families a lot of time and energy by providing independent information and guidance to assist them in making informed decisions in the following areas amongst others:
- Your rights in respect of hospital discharge
- The rules in respect of eligibility for (free) NHS Continuing Health Care
- Your rights in respect of (means tested) Local Authority Social Care
- Your eligibility for state benefits
- Your care options
- Personal care guidance
- The 9 available ways to pay for care
- The importance of a Power of Attorney and having an up-to-date Will
- Government legislation
Apply now for a free, no-obligation consultation
Vulnerable Clients
Every single one of us has the potential at some point in our lives to be vulnerable, and yet discussing these issues can still feel like it carries a taboo.
It is difficult to define who is vulnerable or what characteristics mean a person should be considered vulnerable as it is a wide-ranging and complex area.
However, what constitutes someone to be vulnerable, or potentially vulnerable, can include the following:
- Health: Health conditions or illnesses that affect the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
- Life Events: Major life events such as bereavement or relationship breakdowns.
- Resilience: Low ability to withstand financial or emotional shocks.
- Capability: Low knowledge of financial matters or low confidence when managing money.
At Sutherland IFA we take our responsibilities very seriously and being fortunate in that we interact with clients on a frequent basis, we are normally able to see changes of characteristics over time, that is if they occur at all.
For example, if a client living on their own starts to noticeably develop dementia from one meeting to the next, we would recommend that future meetings are conducted with another person present, such as a family member or a trusted friend, someone the client is happy to have present. This is why appointing a power of attorney early on in life is so vitally important.
