Funding for care especially for elderly care can be complex, expensive and unpredictable with changing needs. This section includes information about all the funding options available. We’ve also included a guide to needs and financial assessments which are really important to ensure your parents receive the support they need.
Watch our short guide to paying care home fees from our legal experts Ashton’s Legal
In addition to their personal health circumstances, whether your elderly parents are at home or moving to a care home will determine the available funding for them. If one of your parents cares for the other then there are options as well. The short version of all the available funding is as follows:
At home funding
- Attendance Allowance – the main benefit for help with personal care (from the Dept of Work and Pensions DWP)
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for anyone aged over 68 in 2015, re-named as Personal Independent Payments (PIPs) for anyone under 68 (Available from DWP)
- NHS Continuing Care (also available for care home residents)
- NHS Intermediate Care (temporary payment after a hospital stay)
- Local authority grants for home alterations
- Carer’s Allowance
- Carer’s Credit
- Constant Attendant Allowance (only available for those with a war pension or suffering as a result of an industrial accident)
Care home funding
- Local authority payment for residential care home (means tested)
- Attendance allowance (if there is no LA or NHS funding contribution)
- NHS Continuing Care (also available at home as above)
- NHS funded nursing care
Take a look at our page on Getting your parents needs and finances assessed which outlines why assessments are a good idea, how to get one, and what happens once you’ve got one. The section also gives advice on Care Home Fees before exploring some of the options around both Funded Care and Self-Funded Care.