There may come a time as you get older when managing in your own home becomes more difficult. Key to identifying how to overcome any problems is an assessment of your individual needs from your local Community Care Services.

The assessment may identify that the only way to meet your needs is to move into a care home. An assessment will help ensure you are clear about the type of care you need so you can find a care home that will provide the right support for you.

The type of care offered in care homes can vary.

• Homes registered as Care Homes provide accommodation, meals and help with personal care. Health care needs are met by community health services

• Homes registered as Care Homes with Nursing care are for people who have on-going health needs that require the skills of qualified nurses. To be registered the home must have a qualified nurse on duty at all times

• Specialist Care Homes are set up and registered to provide specialist care to meet the needs of people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health problems or dementia or particular cultures or religion.
Details of all the homes registered in Berkshire are published in The Berkshire Care Homes Directory www.carehomeguides.com/berkshire

All care homes are registered and inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), www.csi.org.uk, which monitors the regulations and national minimum standards set by the Government.

Paying for Residential Care

Depending on your income, savings or assets, such as your home, you may have to pay for some or all of your care. Once your needs have been assessed by Community Care Services, they will carry out a financial assessment to see if you can afford to pay the care home fees yourself. Every council must following Government rules from the Charing for Residential Accommodation Guide (CRAG) when they work out how much you will need to pay towards your care home fees.

The rules are complicated but broadly speaking if you have savings and capital worth more than £21,500, you will have to pay all of the fees of the care home until you money reduces to this limit. Even below the limit, most care home residents contribute something towards the cost of their care.

If you have been assessed as having needs that should be met in a nursing care home, you will be eligble for the nursing element of your care in the home to be paid for by the NHS.

The value of your property will not count as capital if your partner lives there, even if the house is in your name.

For comprehensive information on paying care home fees, please see factsheets published by www.counselandcare.org.uk and www.ageconcern.org.uk