Do dementia patients have to pay care home fees?
Like all care home residents, the individual medical and financial circumstances of dementia patients will determine whether they have to pay care home fees.
The exact cost of dementia care will vary according to the chosen dementia care home, and the level of care needed to support the individual’s needs.
Do dementia patients pay for care?
To determine whether dementia patients pay for care, your local authority Adult Social Care team will consider the financial value of an individual’s savings or assets, and advise whether they will qualify for funding or benefits towards the cost of their care.
As things stand, if you have over £23,250 in savings or assets, you will be classed as self-funding and expected to meet the cost of your dementia care yourself. If you have less than this, you are likely to qualify for some financial support for the cost of dementia care. This support will either fully-fund the cost of your care, effectively making your dementia care free, or will make a contribution towards your dementia care costs.
Even if you have over £23,250 in savings and assets, you may still be entitled to certain benefits based on your medical and dementia care needs. Your GP or other medical professional will be able to advise if you are eligible for funding schemes designed to provide financial support to people with certain long-term complex health conditions or nursing care which meets certain criteria.
This threshold is set by the government and subject to change. New social care reform changes are due to increase this threshold to £100,000 in October 2023, and will also set an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care over their lifetime.
Our dementia care homes are able to accept residents whose care is fully or partially-funded by your Local Authority or the NHS.
How much does dementia care cost?
Regardless of who pays for dementia care, the cost of care is made up of two elements – the cost of dementia care home accommodation, and the cost of dementia care tailored to your individual needs. Adding these two elements together will provide your overall cost of dementia care.
Care homes for dementia should publish both their fixed accommodation cost, and a scale of care costs dependent upon individual care needs, known as care dependency levels. This will give an indication of the minimum and maximum dementia care cost you can expect to pay at a particular dementia care home, but the only way to confirm an exact amount is via a care assessment.
A care assessment, which may be carried out by either your local authority Social Care Team, or your chosen dementia care home, is a way of understanding you as a person, and the dementia care and support that you need in order to live well with dementia. This is designed to make sure that your dementia care needs can be safely and fully met, and that you will be able to thrive in your new home.
What does dementia day care cost?
If you’re not ready to consider moving into a specialist dementia care home, dementia day care or respite care for dementia might be a good alternative for you.
Like residential care, dementia day care costs vary according to your individual needs and the setting offering the care. A great way of getting to know a particular dementia care home, visiting for dementia day care or staying for a few days on a respite break, also helps the dementia care team to get to know you, your care needs and the things you like doing.
Many of Somerset Care’s residential care homes for dementia, offer dementia day care and respite breaks for dementia, as well as longer-term stays.
The perfect care home solution
To enquire about booking respite care for dementia, moving into a dementia care home, or an indication of dementia day care costs, please contact our friendly enquiries team, who will be happy to help.
