How much should the local authority contribute to home care?
Most local authorities charge for home care, and for services such as meals on wheels. The government’s guidance on fair charging states that each authority can decide its own charges. However, charges must be ‘reasonable’, and anyone who feels that they are excessive has a right to complain. The local authority will ask anyone with savings over a certain limit to pay all of their home care costs. If a person with dementia is paying for services themselves, the local authority should carry out regular reviews. Once a person’s savings drop to below the savings limit, the charge should be reduced, as it is with residential care. Once savings have dropped below a certain level, they should not be used to pay for home care. (See Factsheet 431, Benefits rates and income/savings thresholds.) Guidance on fairer charging suggests that people receiving care at home should not be expected to live on an income lower than that of people receiving income support or guarantee credit of pension credi
