‘Residents should rent, not sell their homes, to pay care costs’
Homeowners who are moved into a care home should not sell their property but rent it out to help pay for their care, said GreenAcres’ Moira Boyd.
‘I say do not sell the house,’ she said. ‘That’s what should be happening. There are people who are struggling to make ends meet who would like to get a room but they’re being blocked by people who can afford them.’
She said that there had been instances where an elderly person who lives alone in a property that they own is put into care, the house is sold by the family.
‘People are panicking about what the States are going to do, and when the long term care benefit runs out,’ she said.
‘So people are selling houses that belong to their parents and taking their inheritance now – but it’s not inheritance because they’re not dead.’
However, even if income from selling the house is put towards someone’s care, it might not last.
‘They might live for another 10 or 20, years and then that pot of money where you sold the house could quite easily run out.’
While many care homes offer standard rate rooms, they need to have rooms occupied at the full rate, that is including the top-up fee, in order to be able to afford this, said Mrs Boyd.
‘Each home has to have a different percentage of standard rate rooms to top-ups in order to be able to provide the service overall.’
The top-up fees are set by the individual care home and locally range from £350 to £500-plus per week.
Another issue is beds at the PEH being occupied by people who are either waiting for a suitable room in a care home or for a care package to be created to enable them to return home.
Mrs Boyd said that GreenAcres had offered the States the opportunity to use one of its vacant rooms temporarily to accommodate such people.
‘Use one of my empty rooms for up to a month or two months, however long it takes you to get that package of care. In the meantime, that person isn’t blocking a room in the hospital.’
