Frequently asked questions

This very much depends on your loved one’s specific circumstances.

The first thing to consider is which body is responsible for funding your care. Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is in the form of NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding. Your social worker, local GP or inpatient medical professional will be able to offer advice on your eligibility.

As you’d expect, to qualify there’s an assessment process. The assessment team will look at what help is needed, judging complexity, intensity and predictability. There are two points of contention with NHS Continuing Healthcare.

Firstly, there is no means test, so theoretically a billionaire could have all their social care costs covered. But, more importantly, dementia is currently not counted as a medical condition suitable for NHS funding.

For those not entitled to NHS funding, your local authority is the next place to contact. If a social worker is already in place, speak to them directly. If not, contact your local authority’s Adult Social Services department.

They’ll set up a care needs assessment. A social worker will visit you or your loved one’s home to see whether any support is required with everyday life. They’ll assess you on a range of criteria – from emotional wellbeing and social life to health and housing requirements. During this process, they’ll likely speak with all relevant medical professionals, such as a GP and district nurse.

The outcome of this process will be a decision on the level of care that’s deemed to be required. Following this, a financial means test is undertaken. For home care, this looks at the value of your liquid assets – excluding property. Here is a current breakdown of the asset thresholds in each nation of the UK:

• England – £23,250
• Wales – £24,000 (care at home) or £50,000 (care in a care home)
• Scotland – £27,250
• Northern Ireland – £23,250

Yes, we can. We actually work with multiple councils up and down the UK to ensure those with a broad range of financial circumstances are able to afford the support they need.

To pay for care with Elder, you need to request whatever local authority funding you’re entitled to as a direct payment. This means it will go straight into your bank account and you then pay the money to Elder directly.

This may or may not cover the full cost of the care. If it doesn’t, most families use savings, pension or an equity release scheme to cover the rest of the cost.

Yes. In a very similar way to funding from your local authority, if you’re eligible for support from the health service you’re able to ask for it to be paid in the form of a direct payment. The NHS version of a direct payment is called a personal health budget.

As mentioned, although more rigorous in terms of eligibility criteria, NHS Continuing Healthcare funding will cover the full cost of your care. So it’s always worth double-checking this potential with your GP.

We can take payment from a card of your choice on a weekly basis, or we can set up a direct debit from a nominated account. If it’s funded by a local authority, then we can invoice them directly.

You’ll only ever pay for care you’ve already received and you’ll always be able to find back-dated invoices in your Elder account.

If you’re not entitled to government support, this is because the relevant authority, usually your local council, has deemed you have enough money to pay for your own care.

This is the situation a lot of families face. However, it’s important to remember that as soon as assets fall below the thresholds, you’ll be entitled to funding from your local authority. With care at home, you’re likely to be eligible for funding more quickly than if you opt for residential care – given that your home is excluded from assets in the financial means test.

Our pricing is tailored to the individual’s care needs, so get in touch for a quote. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any extra costs to budget for. You’ll need to provide the carer with a food budget. You should also consider a budget for household upkeep, bills, groceries, mobility etc.

If your loved one is more mobile, we also recommend thinking about a recreational budget. This could be put towards making sure your loved one and their carer can go on regular days out.

Typically, the carer will prepare meals and eat with your elderly relative. We, therefore, ask you to put aside a sufficient budget to cover this expense. As a guide, this will be up to around £30 per week.

If you don’t feel comfortable arranging this yourself, we’re happy to do this for you by adding an extra £40 to your weekly rate.