Institutionalised financial abuse of the elderly

The elderly often get a raw deal financially, when it comes to the complex area of care fees planning.

An article in the Daily Express today reported on comments by various solicitors made during the Action on Elder Abuse and Solicitors for the Elderly joint conference.

One solicitor speaking at the event commented:

“The current system of applying for care is so complicated, so opaque and difficult for vulnerable pensioners and their families to navigate, that it is hard to believe that it is not this way deliberately, to save money, to protect budgets.

“It is a form of institutionalised financial abuse.”

This ‘institutionalised financial abuse’ of the elderly often manifests itself in the lack of NHS continuing healthcare funding.

This non-means tested benefit is currently received by around 58,000 people, but it is estimated that over 150,000 are eligible.

This means as many as 100,000 people across the UK are paying for care using their own assets, sometimes being forced to sell their homes as a result, unnecessarily.

Over one million homes have been sold during the past five years in order to fund care fees, according to one estimate.

Where you have a ‘primary health need’, NHS continuing healthcare is available free of charge, delivered either in your home or a care home.

In occasions where a person is eligible for continuing healthcare funding, it is often possible for families to reclaim unnecessary care fees payments.

Better is to seek independent financial advice when a relative is at the point of needing care; this means you can more readily navigate the minefield of choices and options, with expert assistance to avoid making expensive mistakes.

Do get in touch to discuss care fees planning and find out more about the various ways to pay for care in later life.

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