Our OAPs paying ‘stealth tax’ top ups for ‘free’ care homes
TENS of thousands pay top-up fees for care homes when elderly loved ones should get free places, a report warns.
One in four pay hidden charges, described as a “stealth tax” by Age UK.
The charity’s report says 48,400 older people, amounting to 24% of council-funded care home residents, are paying top-up fees ranging from £25 to £100 a week.
If OAPs fall foul of a means test, they do not get financial help until their assets are reduced to £23,250. Age UK’s Caroline Abrahams said: “Families are finding themselves in horrible situations, such as knowing that, unless they pay up, their older relative will have to live in a care home so far away they will be cut off.” Age UK urges families to understand their legal rights if they are asked for a top up, as it is sometimes possible to challenge the demands.