Response 613540056

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1f Residential Care Charges

17. Most people have to pay for the costs of where they live such as mortgage payments or rent, property maintenance, food and utility bills. To ensure fairness between those who live in residential care and those who do not, should self-funding care home residents have to contribute towards accommodation-based costs such as (please tick all that apply):

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The question is misleading and wrong. People who have advanced dementia have a terminal neurological condition, they are not "most people". Their accommodation in an institution is due to their illness. They should not have to pay anything towards this anymore than a person with say cancer should pay for their accommodation when they have to live in a hospital/hospice due to her illness. The accommodation charges of care home residents with dementia are for their medical care due to their medical illness. They have already paid NI for this all of their life. Charging advanced dementia care home residents for their accommodation, whilst not charging anyone suffering from any other illness which requires residential care discriminates against advanced dementia sufferers. If this is not stopped and continues in the new national care service, the service
will not be free at the point of use or on a footing with the NHS.

18. Free personal and nursing care payments for self-funders are paid directly to the care provider on their behalf. What would be the impact of increasing personal and nursing care payments to National Care Home Contract rates on:

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It would prevent many self funders from having to sell their homes to pay for what is in effect medical care. It is not just the principle of having to contribute to medical care which is wrong, it is the extortionate amount which is wrong and invariably is only affordable by selling the family home. It would eliminate the pain and suffering most self funders feel at having to pay for them an unfair charge. It would enable many self funders to achieve one of their most important life objectives; to leave the family home to their children and grandchildren.
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No effect as they would be receiving the same income.
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No effect to the best of my knowledge.
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The entire problem with the current system from the perspective of self funders is as follows. Advanced dementia is an illness and those suffering from it should reside in a medical institution and be treated for their illness there. They should not be in care homes at all where they receive no treatment for their illness . This is based on the experiences of 3 family members in 5 care homes. My Father currently resides in a care home. The accommodation charges incurred by advanced dementia residents due to their illness, are part of their medical care. To re-categorise these charges as charges for social care services is where the problem begins. This is only done to shift the responsibility for paying for these from the NHS to the private citizen. It is the most egregious breach of the human rights of the poor person suffering from advanced dementia within the current system who is self funding.

19. Should we consider revising the current means testing arrangements?

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Yes
No
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Exclude homes from the definition of capital.
A lifetime maximum of £50,000 contribution of private individuals for accommodation costs in care homes.

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