Fair Deal Scheme: The Way We Care for the Elderly has Changed

 

Gestures of love and care shown to aged parents vary from one person to another. While some visit their elderly parents’ house on weekends for the company, others accompany them to the doctor’s chamber. However, the definition has changed ever since the Fair Deal Scheme got introduced. Today, adult children who genuinely think about the wellbeing of their aged parents, avail of HSE’s Nursing Home Support Scheme to subsidise the cost involved. It’s the new standard of care in Ireland and people are increasingly applying for the scheme on behalf of their elderly parents, who are suffering from severe mental and physical conditions.

If you are planning to take it up for your mother or father or any of your close relatives who are suffering from physical and mental incapacity, go ahead. There’s every reason you should involve the HSE to fund a certain amount towards your loved one’s nursing home care.

Much like every Irish Government scheme, this too suffers the lashes of the public. Many have criticised it on the grounds of being means-tested. In other words, they believe that the benefits of the Nursing Home Loan Scheme stand eligible only for those who have sufficient income and assets. They also feel that the bequest of the farm left behind for the next generation has become riskier. Well, haters are going to hate, no matter how lucrative you make a scheme. So, disregarding all facts, let’s move ahead to check out the benefits it can bring upon your ailing loved one.

The Nursing Home Support Scheme is the greatest gift you can present to someone you love and care for. It covers the following:

Ø  Appropriate care at one’s chosen nursing home.

Ø  Therapy along with some basic aids and appliances to help patients with their day-to-day activities.

Ø  Laundry service, bed and board.

Ø  Medical care, including medication and GP charges.

All that an eligible person has to fulfil are certain conditions, three of which are the most critical:

1. Care needs assessment - This part of the application examines the applicant’s eligibility for long-term nursing home care.
2. Financial assessment - This part, on the contrary, takes a look at the income and assets of the applicant and calculates the person’s contribution towards his/her cost of care. Based on this, the HSE determines the State support that the applicant is eligible for.
3. Nursing Home Loan Scheme- This one is a true saviour for those who wish to defer their contribution to a later date.

Final Thoughts:

After retirement, the only dream of aged parents is to live an independent life, without being a burden to their adult children. Today, that’s possible with the Fair Deal Scheme. Those who truly care for their elderly and ailing parents or loved ones, make it a point to fill up the application form and cater to their long-term nursing home care needs. So, it’s like a standard of care, expected by the aged population from their adult offspring.

 

Fair Deal Scheme: How is it Helping People on their Life’s Financial Journey?

 

Growing old is no longer a thing to fret about. The credit, of course, goes to HSE, working on behalf of the Department of Health in Ireland to assure Fair Deal Nursing Home Scheme applicants of long-term care in exchange for a nominal sum. Under its presence, many can now heave a sigh of relief in knowing that there’s the State to back you up, irrespective of your financial condition. How? By paying the balance to your choice of HSE approved Nursing Home. And you can return the favour over your lifetime through the Nursing Home Support Scheme cost of care contributions, charged over income and assets.

All you have to do is fill up an application form for the Fair Deal Scheme by following the steps below:

1. Go ahead for a Care Needs Assessment to verify that you need long-term nursing home care.
2. Let HSE assess your financial condition and determine the cost of care contribution to the State.
3. In case you wish to seek additional assistance, you must apply for the Nursing Home Loan or the Ancillary State Support. Under it, the State advances full financial support for the time being and charges it from one’s property assets at a later date.

This is how the loan builds up with the State paying all your Nursing Home contributions. You have to repay it:

ü  From your estate when you pass away

ü  From the money you gain from selling or transferring your property

ü  When the bank announces you bankrupt

ü  When you provide false or misleading information while applying for the Nursing Home Loan

Bear in mind that the HSE shall charge interest rates on the borrowed sum, payable during loan recovery. It’s calculated mostly from the CPI (Consumer Price Index).

The Fair Deal Scheme has smoothened life’s financial journey to a great extent. However, there are still some obstacles on the way, be it knowledge gap, lack of awareness etc. Advisory service providers like Fair Deal Advice helps applicants get rid of those hurdles in the following ways:

v Sends across a checklist, enlisting the documents required for a preliminary assessment.

v Reviews the financial position of applicants to help them understand the cost they are bearing today and the financial impact the scheme would have on them afterwards.

v Outlines every step so that it’s easy for applicants to prepare for the application process.

v Helps applicants fill up the application form and submit supporting documents to finalise the process.

Postscript:

Take the helm of life’s financial journey with only that advisory body, who understands the sensitivity of the situation and empathises with you on the difficulty of your circumstance. Fair Deal Advice is one such provider, who not only feels for the client but also offers a professional level of advisory service to ensure the success of the application.