Should frail, sick elderly people be forced to pay for their long-term care?

My late father developed Alzheimer's disease and had to go into a nursing home. The SS said he must sell his home to pay for his own care. As I held an Enduring Power of Attorney, I refused because under the 1946 NHS act ALL care should be free. Many like my dad end up in this situation - although he had never taken a day off work or claimed any sort of state benefit. When he needed his country's help they said he 'wasn't eligible' and turned him down - yet as a young man he served his country well - he fought at Arnham etc. but all that apparently counts for nothing!

In fact I took my case to the Ombudsman - and won! I am now helping over 300 people to obtain the right to free NHS care which they earned through a lifetimes taxation. See nhscare.info All we demand is that the government obeys the law! You can now join a national campaign to end this disgraceful continuing care shambles. If you are in this situation you can contact others via. a dedicated msn message board.

My brother (aged 53) spent over nine months in hospital and entered a nursing home on 10th March, 2006. He suffered a massive Intracerebral Haemorrhage on 24th May, 2005. Rod has had 4 or 5 infections including MRSA twice, is in constant pain on his paralysed side, lower back, left eye and left testicle (Thalamic Pain Syndrome), headaches, skin irritation, peg fed at night but can be fed chopped up food orally, on 17 different medications at present but under constant review, spasm, epileptic, history of heart attack, suicidal, depression, virtually bed bound, needs turning every 2 hours because he is at risk of pressure sores, bed bound, hoisted out of bed by two people, panic attacks, does not leave his room, frightened and feels totally out of control. Rod has been on and off medications approx 30 times since 10th March, 2006. According to the NHS assessment this man is stable, predictable and his need is not a health need but a social need!!!! I have never heard such rubbish in all my life.

Tony Blair said at the Labour Party Conference in 1997:

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty simple, the type of country I want. It鈥檚 a country our children are happy to grow up in, feeling good not just about themselves but about the community around them. I don鈥檛 want them brought up in a country where the only way pensioners can get long term care is by selling their homes鈥?

Since then approximately 700,000 homes have been sold to pay for pensioners care. I know Rod is a lot younger but it applies to all ages. These poor people who have paid taxes and national insurance all their lives suddenly get taxed again when they become ill. What an absolute disgrace!!!!!

WE ARE ALL ENTITLED TO FULLY FUNDED NHS CONTINUING HEALTH CARE UNDER THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT 1946/48 AND UNDER THE COURT OF APPEAL IN COUGHLAN.

The Coughlan Case, which was won by Pamela Coughlan in the Court of Appeal, set a precedent in law in 1999 but the NHS is still abusing this law. The NHS wrongly interprets the words from the Coughlan judgement as 鈥減rimary health need鈥? The actual words of Lord Woolf were: 鈥減rimarily health needs for which the Health Authority is as a matter of law responsible鈥? It is the patient鈥檚 condition, not the nursing care that entitles them to free health care. Under the 1946 Health Act all those with health needs (an illness or disability) are entitled to NHS care 鈥榝ree at the point of use鈥? The law has not changed since 1946!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe how the NHS can be allowed to get away with their unlawful behaviour, everyone thinks that they can trust our democratic system but unfortunately this is not the case. NHS actions regarding continuing care are blatantly flawed and unlawful. They must be stopped!!!!! They are causing misery and grief to many thousands of older people and their families all over the country.

Check out WWW.NHSCARE.INFO for valuable information.

no they shouldn't have to pay as it's not they fault that they have got sick or old and i think it's not right what has happened to your dad.

Welcome to reality! They will and do take whatever he has one way or the other...Sad state of affairs that our elderly or infirm are not taken care care of! It falls on the family which we should help but this is a man that worked all his life, served his country, he deserves something. What about Veteran's Administration!

It matters, however, they go by, if you can pay for it then you have to. There are just way too many people that need to be in a nursing home who absolutely cant pay for it. Those are the ones that get it for free. The gov't would be in even greater debt if they paid for nursing for people who can pay for it themselves. Theres just too many.

Not sure where you live. My grandfather had Alzheimer's. Because he was retired Army, we put him in the Old Soldiers Home in D.C. There are many of these all over the United States. Here is a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_soldier...
I totally agree with you. I don't not believe that especially if you are a veteran that you should have to pay for something like that. No way. Good grief, my grandfather had 2 Silver Stars and a Purple Heart from Omaha Beach. No way.

If we paid for every old persons healthcare entirely...our taxes would be sky high...wow.

If people have worked all their life and paid taxes etc they should get the care for free no questions asked. Anyone who has never worked or paid into the system should be forced to pay for the care.

I worked in the nursing home system for so long and it is just heart wrenching. These people that nobody cares to fight for, paved our roads, built art, and so much more. We live off of their hard work. It sickens me that the elderly have to sell their belongings when they go into a nursing home! They worked so hard for what they have, just to have it taken from them. Yes, it should be free. Americans don't raise much fuss when they know they are using taxpayer money to care for illegal aliens in this country, educations and hospital expenses. PEOPLE, WAKE UP, complain! One person can only do so much but if people would raise a fuss about issues like this to their local reps things would change. All care would now be free for the elderly. It's a common courtesy to take care of them. They wiped your damn nose and smiled at your diapered butt when they saw you in a store. What you should have done before he got so sick is to have him transfer the deed of the house into your name for a small price. It's too late now but you can educate people so that they don't have to make the same mistakes and have their lively hoods torn from them.

I think we British treat our elderly apallingly.

Just look at other European states and see how much they care and respect those who saved them from tyranny.

Our governments see the elderly as a source of income until the day they die - it's sick and unfair.

About time someone did something about it

Sad but true. The money has to come from somewhere. LTC health care insurance costs about $1000/month in addition to any other medical coverage you may have.

stick to your guns they have no right to make you sell up but they do ask.

SORRY ABOUT UR DAD. I THINK OLD PEOPLE ARE TOO HEAVY A BURDEN ON SOCIETYAND EVERYBODY SHOULD BE EXECUTED ON ITS 50TH BIRTDAY.....

i don't think any elderly people should pay for there care weather they are ill or not , i think the government stinks cause they give all these drug addicts and rapists all they want and then they make the decent people pay, I'm am so sorry for you to have gone through this and hope in the next few years the government changes their approach to the way they treat decent human beings best of luck xx

It depends what they have
Your father should not have to pay
Its not fair
And that really was heart touching

I think it is a disgrace that people like your father, who has worked all his life, paid his Tax & NIC, struggled to buy his own home in order to be comfortable in his old age, should be forced to sell it to pay for the care he has been paying for all his life.
I do not see anyone demanding payment from junkies & the like for their treatment for what is after all a self inflicted problem.
Well done to you for standing up to them.

good luck to you for what you did for your Father the trouble with this Country is the People who paid in to the National Health in the fifty's and sixty's are the one being penalised to day the system has been so abused that the ones entitled to it are the ones going without

Bloody labour.

Its a very difficult issue. If the NHS or "the government" pay for continuing care then where does the money come from? It can only be raised by higher taxes or by cutting funding in some other area. Providing full-time care is very expensive.