Maintaining independence with dementia

Thanks to our clear financial management, Susan* is able to live in her own home once again.

Sometimes when a person has dementia, independent living gets too much, and residential care is the answer. But after it happened to her, Susan didn’t want that to be the end of her story. If she could afford to return home, even for a short time, she wanted to try.

Susan was officially objecting to being in care but water damage to her house had declared it unfit to live in. The local authority approached Anthony Collins (AC) to act on Susan’s behalf. Could taking her finances in hand get Susan back home with an appropriate package of care?

Accessing the financial landscape

Once appointed, we took on the complicated process of taking full charge of Susan’s finances. This meant comprehensive management down to paying bills, dealing with any income, protecting her assets and insurance claims.

Susan had lived a full, financially stable life. What was left of that lifestyle had to be fully appraised and reported to the court. For Susan to return home, there needed to be enough money to ready her property for her return and a surplus for

Acting for her

While getting Susan’s finances in order, it took many months to complete an insurance claim that had begun. Getting this completed was a crucial initial stage to repair her home so she could live there once again.

Overall, it took almost a year to have everything in place for Susan’s return. It was agreed this would initially be on a trial basis, but then for as long as her cashflow and dementia will allow. The court has confirmed AC’s permanent appointment. We’ll be there to sell Susan’s home and settle her finances when she needs to return to care.

“As a Court of Protection team, we aren’t about changing policy but at the micro level we bring about significant individual change that supports individuals and their lives. There was a very tight margin whether she could afford to leave care or not. At least this way, whether it be for six or 12 months, she’s where she wants to be.”
Doug Houghton, senior associate, Anthony Collins

*Name has been changed.