Milestone birthdays have a tendency to get the mind racing. When I turned 40, I had a bit of a wobble. I remembered my mum’s 40th and now here I was, the same age, and all I had to show for it was a middle-aged paunch and a geriatric cat. Or so I thought, anyway.
This week my dad celebrates his 70th. He’s lucky in that he still has his health, still works (his choice) and still enjoys a (relatively) active life. And he owns his own home.
That last one, though. What if, god forbid, he needs social care at some point in the future? How will we pay for it? Will the house have to be sold? Will that be enough?
A new report out today makes for bleak reading. According to Royal London, the cost of an average stay in a residential care home can eat up more than half the value of an individual’s house.
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