Inheritance
Watch this postShould surviving progeny have an automatic right to inherit their parents houses and savings, or should all assets be used to pay for care in old age?
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Like you we own our property and we worked hard for the privilege. My parents did the same because they were raised to believe that was the right thing to do even when it meant two and sometimes three jobs to achieve that aim. My mother never asked for help when my father became increasingly more difficult to manage because of dementia but had some respite once he died. However, when she required 24 hour care, her house was sold to fund that care. Neither my sister or I had a problem with that.
I wasn't privileged with having children of my own but do have a wonderful step-daughter who is unable to work because my step-granddaughter, now 19, has special needs and requires total 24 hour care (she has had to use NHS services a great deal). My step-daughter does receive carers allowance (a state benefit), which is less than job seeker allowance and we help her out as much as is possible. We hope she will be in a position to inherit what we leave to allow her a degree of freedom, however, if either of us as a survivor require care our house will be sold and our savings used to fund that. Interestingly, if my step-granddaughter requires care the state will have to pay for that so I suppose it's swings and roundabouts!
Rant over.
I also have difficulty when people may assume everyone has an understanding of how life styles may affect their future until it is too late. As humans we often have a 'Russian Roulette' approach to life and it appears to me that we blame people for making wrong choices when at the time they were made they may not have fully understood the consequences. I never once nursed someone who told their 'career advisor' they wanted to be a drug addict when they grew up! As a nurse I had a responsibility to be objective when caring for people, it was not my place to judge only to care, the result of that means I sometimes have difficulty in seeing only one side of an issue, my experience taught me to always look at the bigger picture and that has shown me that if you don't die when young you will grow old with all the problems that can bring.
I have known more than one elderly person who has lived on the very edge of malnutrition, refusing to spend more than the absolute minimum on the cheapest food available, sitting in the dark to save electricity, without TV, and shopping at jumble sales, in order to maximise the wedge of cash they would leave to their children. And the children encouraged it!
If you need care and if you have money then you should stump up the cash, and not expect the taxpayers to support you.
I have no family to support me, so if I ever become unable to look after myself I would rather opt for euthanasia than go into a council run care home.
No, we don't allow animals to suffer but the 'all life is sacred' lobby would deny us the right to quietly slip away when we decide we've had enough.
If life is 'sacred' why then is it often so awful, why is it so painful, miserable and unbearable for some unfortunate people who have never done wrong in their lives?
In Japan, suicide is considered an honourable thing to do, and why not, it's my body so I will do with it as I see fit.
It is also worth remembering that the local authority will take into account 50% of any joint savings i.e. you have £10,000 in a joint account they will take £5,000, when that is spent they will assess as 50% on the remaining £5,000 etc. Therefore it is better to have separate single accounts when meeting care costs to ensure costs are paid from the account of the person needing care.
I agree with fordfocus, why should the money that we worked hard for and saved for go on care when those who are not so fortunate or not saved for the future get financial support for their care? If you decide to pay for private care, that is your choice.
Many of today's pensioners will have worked long hard hours in dirty low paid jobs, perhaps serving in the forces too, but never earned enough money to put into a private pension. Retirement will have come as an unpleasant shock as they strive to adjust to life on a small (tiny) state pension, and the UK state pension is one of the stingiest in Europe.
Some of those pensioners may feel acutely embarrassed that their care is paid for by the local councils, others will not care a jot.
I know people the same age as myself who never really worked, they tried it in the 60's and 70's, didn't like it, so opted for a life on the dole, or on the sick. Those people will get the same pension as a person who worked in a low paid job.
Doesn't seem fair, does it, but then it wouldn't be fair to penalise the idle and the feckless in their old age, or would it?
Apart from an allowance of just over £20000 all savings and assets currently must be used to pay fees. This cannot be right as it punishes those who have made the effort to save. Even if public money isn't available to cover this ever-increasing problem surely it should be possible for people to take out insurance when they are younger to cover these potential costs should they arise.
I worked in one for a short time and all that the residents got for their money was help in dressing and showering, 3 quite poor meals, cups of weak tea and a seat in the lounge for the day.
We need to find an alternative way to care for our elderly as it seems that someone is making a lot of money from vulnerable people.