24 May 2017

Top tips

This month I’d like to share some of the knowledge that my sister and I have acquired in terms of securing funding and other assistance for our elderly parents – and saving them money!

Please bear in mind that this advice is a starting point only, for you to make your own enquiries, and there may, of course, be legislative changes after the General Election.

Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney (POA) is essentially a legal document that allows you to act on behalf of another person. There are two kinds, one relating to financial decisions and the other to health and care decisions. The former may be implemented either immediately or when the person loses mental capacity. The latter only takes effect when the person loses mental capacity.

It’s very important, however, to get POA drawn up before a person loses mental capacity. If you don’t, you will have to apply, instead, to the Court of Protection to be appointed their Deputy – a much longer and more expensive process.

Many people resist putting POA in place. This may be because they are in denial about their mental frailties or perhaps because they fear a loss of control and independence. It can be a difficult and delicate conversation to have, and the response from your loved one is also likely to be influenced by your relationship with them, ie do they trust you to have their best interests at heart? Our parents presented some initial resistance, but were persuaded by our repeated reassurances that we would only step in to help when needed.

The key thing we learned about POA is that you don’t need a solicitor to draw this up – a friend mentioned this to me by chance, immediately saving us £1,000 in legal fees! You can do it all yourself using the guidance and forms supplied by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), at a cost of just £82 per form, ie their registration fee. Please note, though, that this only applies in England and Wales; you can find separate guidance for Scotland here.

If you follow the OPG’s instructions carefully – and they are very detailed and clear – you should be able to set this up without legal assistance. However, if your loved one’s circumstances are complicated, or they require bespoke instructions to be given to their Attorneys, it may be preferable to use a solicitor. I’d suggest reviewing the forms first, before deciding which is the more appropriate approach.

Benefits

Age UK have an online benefits’ calculator, which enables you to check that your loved one is receiving all of the state benefits they are entitled to. You may also be able to fill in one of their hard copy ‘Welfare Benefit Entitlement’ forms and submit it to your local office for an adviser to review. You can find contact details for your nearest Age UK office, and the services they provide, on this benefits’ calculator page

Image courtesy of Pixababy
And don’t forget those benefits that are universal (at present!), such as winter fuel payments and the over-75s’ free TV licence.

It’s also well worth looking into eligibility for Attendance Allowance – again Age UK have guidance on this ‘benefit for older people who may need extra help to stay independent at home, due to an illness or disability’. The related government website is useful, too.

This allowance is currently payable at the rate of £55.65 per week if you need help either in the day or at night and £83.10 if you need help both in the day and at night. It’s payable tax-free, is not means-tested and you don’t actually need to be receiving care for it to be granted. There are also no rules or restrictions as to how you use this allowance.

My sister had help from an Age UK volunteer in re-drafting the relevant application forms for my parents, to ensure that they stood the best possible chance of success – both were awarded this allowance, with Dad receiving the higher rate. This was also backdated to the date of claim, which provided a couple of nice lump sums.

Council tax

Due to Mum’s dementia and the fact that she now receives Attendance Allowance, my parents are entitled to a 25% discount on their council tax. The Alzheimer’s Society has helpful guidance on the relevant qualifying criteria. 

If all of the adults living at a property meet these criteria, then that property becomes exempt and council tax doesn’t have to be paid. Sadly, we are likely to find ourselves in that position soon, as Dad is also suffering memory loss and confusion. The only silver lining – albeit a somewhat tarnished one – is that this will save them nearly £2,000 a year altogether.

Bills

Many of us fail to review costs for our utilities, either through lack of time or the fear that making a change will be too much hassle. Physical or mental impairments can also present an impediment, whether you are young or old. My dad is hard of hearing, has blurry vision due to cataracts and poor dexterity as a result of Parkinson’s Disease; he simply can’t manage the necessary investigations and negotiations even on the phone, let alone online.

Added to which, we came to realise that he had always placed his trust in companies to give him the best deal – he never thought to challenge bills and I suspect a lot of older folk are the same.

In light of all of this, we arranged for him to sign ‘letters of authority’ to the relevant organisations, giving permission to me and my sister to deal with them on his behalf. This avoided the delay entailed in sending the POA forms to each in turn and removed the risk of those forms getting lost – certified copies are very expensive to obtain.

Now my parents pay 50% less on their phone bills and are on fixed rate tariffs for their electricity and gas. 

If a property doesn’t have a water meter, that may also be worth considering. The Consumer Council for Water has a useful calculator to help you assess if this would be of financial benefit. We decided against this after discovering a tap left running at my parents’ house!

The online comparison sites are, of course, a great resource. We saved our parents £400 on their buildings’ and contents’ cover with very little effort. Money expert Martin Lewis’s site is also well worth checking out.

Equipment

There are all sorts of adaptations available to help the elderly keep mobile and safe at home. The local council should be able to arrange for an occupational therapist to assess needs and what will be beneficial.

The social care system undoubtedly has its failings, but I’ve been impressed by how much equipment has been provided to my parents for free, including: handrails; raised toilet seats with grab rails; raisers for Dad’s bed and armchair; a wheelchair; a walking stick; and a key safe to allow carer access.

Image courtesy of Praisaeng/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
There are also paid-for services, such as the telecare system that we have had installed. This consists of a base unit connected to a bracelet with a button that Dad can press in case of emergency. The referral from social services meant that the installation cost was waived – it’s usually £37 – and it then costs just £15.96 a month to rent. 

The best part, however, is that we’ve added integrated smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm to this system, entirely for free. We simply asked for a referral from the fire service, which they were happy to provide, given our parents’ vulnerability. Ordinarily each of these 4 alarms would cost just under £5 per month to rent, but this cost is met by their local social services.

The smoke alarms were put to use within 3 weeks of installation, when Mum burnt the toast and succeeded in filling the entire downstairs with smoke. Before she or Dad could even figure out what was going on, there were firemen at their door. It provides great peace of mind to me and my sister – at least one thing we can be sure of is that their home won’t burn down around them!

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Please do share your own tips by leaving a comment below.