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Paying for care if you have a partner

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Being part of a couple can affect a care home resident’s eligibility for local authority assistance with care home fees and both partners’ eligibility for social security benefits during the period in care.

At Age UK, we have produced a factsheet that addresses this issue and includes sections on the valuation of jointly owned capital, temporary admissions and where both members of a couple go into a care home.

Government guidance on the rights of a spouse in a care home to pass 50% of their private or occupational pension to their partner living at home are also included.   

This factsheet should be read alongside Age UK’s other factsheets on care home charging and benefits‚ particularly Paying for permanent residential care.

It should be read alongside Age UK’s other factsheets on care home charging and benefits‚ particularly Paying for permanent residential care, linked from the related pages below.

opens link in new window LA assessment for community care services (PDF, 337 KB)

opens link in new window Paying for care in a care home if you have a partner (PDF 93 KB)

opens link in new window Download the Care homes guide (PDF 645 KB)

 
We are grateful for the generous support of Dr Naim Dangoor CBE
and the Exilarch Foundation

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Useful information to download

  • This factsheet explains how being part of a couple affects eligibility for assistance with care home fees and both partners’ social security benefits.

  • Our introduction to care homes will help you decide if it is the right choice for you, and explains the help available with payments and how to choose a home.

  • Factsheet on local authority assessment for community care services.

  • View all downloadsHelp with downloads

    Downloads

    What is a download?

    A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

    What is a PDF?

    PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

    Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have set their computer up).

    How do I download a PDF?

    Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

    How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

    The process is quite straightforward and is free.

    1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
    2. Click ‘Download’.
    3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
    4. Click ‘Next’.
    5. Click ‘Install’
    6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

    How do I change a download?

    PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

    How do I print or save a download?

    Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

    Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

    Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

    Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

    We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

    You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

    • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
    • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
    • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
    • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
    • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E

    You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

    • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
    • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
    • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.

    You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

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