Self funders - What do I do now?

When you are classified as a self funder - somebody who is paying for their own care because they have savings and assets, excluding property above £23,250 in England and Northern Ireland, £22,000 in Wales and £22,750 in Scotland, you will be unlikely to receive very much help from social services to find the care that you need, or be offered information to enable you to make an informed decision.  Facts about self funders
This guide will help you to make an informed decision.
When do I need care?
If there is a question over your safety within your current living arrangements you should start to look at what options are available to you that will either support you within your own home, or provide you with the support you need elsewhere.

Assessments
As a self funder you are entitled to an assessment - which is free, from social services. An Occupational Therapist will assess your needs and advise you what level of care you require. However, this assessment may take some time to organise and in addition to this you may find your needs are assessed in relation to the level of support that the council can offer - rather than the level of support you need.

Your alternative is to approach a care home or domiciliary agency to assess you. This can often be undertaken much more quickly.

Paying for your care
It is vital to establish how much you can afford to pay in care fees. Only 17% of self funders obtain specialist care fees advice about how they are going to pay for their care fees and studies suggest that a third of self funders run out of money and turn to social services to continue paying for their care. The problem with this is that many self funders are paying more for their nursing home or residential home than social services will pay. This leaves the self funder with the dilemma of either moving nursing home, ‘topping up’ the difference (asking family or friends to contribute towards the cost), or negotiating with the home over the fees or moving to a cheaper room.

Speak to a professional care fees advisor to establish how much you can afford and how long this will last.

How much will my care cost?
As a self funder you are responsible for your own costs whether or not you intend to live at home with the support of a domiciliary care agency, or whether you intend to live in a residential care home.

The average cost of care at home is £17.30.  So two hours of daily home care could amount to more than £12,600 a year - not including higher rates for weekends and holidays. If 24 hour care is required costs could rise to more than £150,000 per year based on this hourly rate.
The average costs for residential care can vary depending upon the location and whether nursing is required. A general guide for a residential care home is £24,908 a year and £34,788 for a nursing home.

Allowances
As a self funder you are entitled to very few benefits, however Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for people aged 65 or over who need someone to help look after them because they are physically or mentally disabled. For full details of eligibility.  If you are under 65 you may be entitled to Disability Living Allowance and you may be entitled to Pension Credit.

A care home - or home care?
Moving into a nursing home or a residential home is a big decision to make and you may decide, regardless of the advice you have received from professionals, that you would like to try and stay at home. There are a variety of organisations that will help you to achieve this.

Finding the best care
Once you have established what type of care you need and how much you can afford to pay for it, you can begin to look for care homes or domiciliary agencies.

Domiciliary agencies
If you are choosing to stay in your own home and you are looking for a domiciliary care agency, or home help, there is a variety of support on offer. Ranging from a carer who will pop in and make you lunch, to full time live in carers. When choosing the agency remember that it is the staff you will be interacting with, ask whether you can choose your carer or change them if you do not get on. The Care Quality Commission regulates domiciliary agencies, so look for the 3 star ‘Excellent’ rated agencies.

Try and speak to other people who use the agencies as they will be a useful guide to the level of care being offered.

Residential care
When looking for a nursing home or residential home remember that as a self funder you are a preferred client. Statistics suggest that many social services placements in care homes are subsidised by the self funders within the same home. This is because social services set a maximum rate that they will pay. Visit as many nursing homes or residential homes as you can and begin with those that have achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating, 3 stars, from the Care Quality Commission.  We have a full list of 3 star care homes in England and a checklist for people who are entering permanent residential or nursing care.
Planning the move
It is really important to prepare yourself and your family for the move into residential care as proper preparation can seriously influence your attitude towards your new home Planning the move.
What do I take into a care home?
Having a checklist of items that are not only essential, but will also help you to settle in is really helpful.  Some items are very obvious, others less so - for example very few homes will allow you to have a kettle in your room.  It is better to know this before you move in rather than have it taken away after you have moved in Checklist: What to take into a care home.
Give yourself time
As with anything in life change can take a little getting used to.  So give yourself time and try and approach your new home with a positive attitude to give yourself the best chance of settling in and making the most of your new home.