Assisted living is a term that covers a wide variety of different needs. When you are talking about adult care services – as opposed to children – assisted living could mean anything from dementia carers working with a geriatric person in their own home around the clock to someone popping in to help with a few chores a couple of times a week.
As such, individual care plans to help people continue to live in their own homes and not be forced into moving into a nursing home will vary from person to person. Indeed, care needs tend to change as time goes on. As such, even if you are referring to a single individual, the costs associated with their care needs could be wildly different from one year to the next.
Regardless of how much assisted living costs to deliver, the British government allows for funding to be obtained by any individual. Therefore, even if you need help just once a week, are seeking some respite care because your usual carer needs a break, or you need palliative live-in care in your own home, you could be entitled to something.
Please note, however, that not everyone is entitled to receive assisted living costs because it depends on both your care needs and your household’s financial status.
To be clear, the costs associated with assisted living care are covered by adult social care funding streams. In order to access them, you will need to approach the adult social services department at your local authority.
This is either the unitary authority if you live in one of those administrative areas, the county council, or the borough council in the case of most cities. What happens is that your case will be assigned to a social worker.
He or she will make an independent assessment of your care needs based on what a typical day is like for you. People with mobility issues that come and go, for example, should be assessed on what life at home is usually like for them rather than what they’re capable of when they are feeling at their best.
Only when the assessment has been made will any funding become available. Crucially, however, accessing these public funds does not tie you down to local-authority-provided care. You can spend it securing the services of any registered care provider you like that provides in-home assisted living services.
According to one such home care provider in Essex, Anglian Care, it is important for people to shop around when procuring assisted living care provision because not all service providers offer the same level of care.
At the moment, access to adult social care funding isn’t possible if you have savings of over £23,250 and you own your own home. A means test assessment may be required if you are not sure which side of the line your household falls.
From October 2023, however, the most that anyone will need to spend on their care needs will be set at £86,000. After this sum has been spent, the full care costs should be met by the local authority.