family law edinburgh cost of care

Care Costs in Scotland

Cost of Care Lawyer Edinburgh

The rising costs of care are a worry for many people. Contact our friendly and trusted lawyers today to find out how we can help you plan for the costs of care. You can contact us by calling 0131 322 1692 or by completing our online enquiry form.

Getting older can make day-to-day living more difficult. If that is the case for you or a loved one, you may be considering your options in relation to care but are unsure of where to start or the costs involved. Family Law Edinburgh understand that this can be a difficult time for families and we have years of experience in providing the legal services that are commonly needed by older people, including Power of Attorney, Guardianship Orders and wills.

Planning For the Costs of Care

The cost of care can be very high and many people are worried that their care costs may leave their estate with little or nothing. If you need care then an assessment will be made of your finances to determine whether you have to contribute to the costs of care of whether this will be covered by the state.

For this reason many people decide to take advantage of trusts and other options to protect their assets. Our team of family lawyers are experts in estate management and can provide you with bespoke advice to help you ring fence your assets.

Think You Need Care?

Firstly, if you think you may need assistance, you should contact your local council's social work department, who will arrange to carry out a free social work assessment of your care needs. In doing so, they will review your personal circumstances and assess how you cope with day-to-day living. Even if you plan to arrange and pay for care privately, it is still a good idea to ask your local authority to carry out the assessment of your care needs as it will determine if:

• you are in need of help at home;

• you are in need of help in a care home; or

• you are not in need of help.

If it is determined that you need care at home, you can be provided with assistance to help you remain independent. Help of this nature comes in a variety of different forms including help with cooking, shopping and cleaning. The specialist team at Family Law Edinburgh is happy to discuss this with you should you have any questions.

The assessment may determine that a care home would be the best way of meeting your care needs. Care homes aim to create a homely environment where properly trained stuff are on hand to help care for you.

Paying Care Fees

Before choosing to accept or decline the recommendations of the assessment, the financial implications of doing so should be considered.

While there are certain care services that do not require to be paid for, including free personal and nursing care, the majority of care services need to be paid for.

If the local authority assessment has shown that you are in need of care services, you may be eligible for help with payment for those services from your Local Authority, which will be determined by a financial assessment carried out by the Local Authority. You should also ensure that you are receiving all the benefits available to you.

Care Costs Financial Assessment

When a financial assessment is carried out by a Local Authority, your savings and income will be looked at to determine how much you will need to pay towards the costs of any care services. The Local Authority can also consider other income to which you have reliable access and they may also take into account any assets which you have gifted away in recent years. It is open to you to choose not to have a financial assessment, but in such circumstances, you will be required pay the full cost of any care services.

When care home services are recommended, by law, if requested to do so, the relevant Local Authority must carry out a Financial Assessment to determine how much an individual can pay towards the care home fees.

Our solicitors can provide you with advice in relation to the financial assessment and how your savings and income will be assessed.

Contact Family Law Edinburgh for Cost of Care Assistance

The fees involved in care and in care services are rather complex and require specialist legal advice. The solicitors at Family Law Edinburgh can talk you through the different cost implications of care and are available to you.

Contact us by calling 0131 322 1692 or complete our online enquiry form.

Enquire now

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