News

Financial guidance on funding care home place

By Victoria Smith
April 25, 2012

Financial guidance has been published for thousands of older people in the borough who will be expected to fund the full cost of residential care from this year.

People with capital and/or savings of more than £23,250, including their home, are to be expected to pay the full cost of residential care until savings drop below this level.

There are 15,000 people aged over 65 living in Bracknell Forest and a third of these people will have to pay more than £35,000 to meet their care needs in later life, according to the London School of Economics.

This could rise to £50,000 when considering accommodation costs on top.

Bracknell Forest Council has published a guide, called Funding Your Own Care, giving guidance on how residents can plan to fund care in later life.

Mira Haynes, chief officer: older people and long term conditions at the council, said: “This new guide is for people who have decided residential care is the right option for them and will pay for that care themselves.

“The guide is also for people who want to feel more prepared for later life, and are considering how they might cope if unable to care for themselves in the future.”

Councillor Dale Birch, executive member for adult services, health and housing, said: “This guide should be read by all residents who want to plan for their future or learn more about paying for their own care.

“If you would like to find out more, contact the council for a copy of this booklet.”

To find out more, or to obtain a copy of the guide, visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk or call (01344) 352 000.

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Most recent user comments 2 of 2

But is BFC really deserving of such credit? How will its present active encouragement of more private housing to go with the empty office blocks, near-derelict town centre and gridlocked roads help? This council has obligations to ensure that suitable sites remain in the borough for state-of-the-art accommodation for an ageing local population. BFC has to attract and encourage such facilities and see that they are built in time and in the right locations - not simply print booklets as its response.

A handful of apartments, with few if any of the support facilities that elderly residents are really going to need, and added as an afterthought to accompany private housing (that generates bigger profits for developers) is not the answer.

Forester, Bracknell
25/04/2012 at 19:35

All credit to Bracknell Forest Council for producing a guide for people who fund their own care. Increasing numbers of people are in this position and generally they get very little help with tackling, what is for many, the bewildering world of social care.