[AnnieK]

Just to add Kate - when my Nan had to go into a home, I had to get LPA for her to deal with her finances (I was named in her will but as both executors - her partner and my mum had died I had to deal with everything) and they didn't "force" me to sell her property whilst she was still living. They basically put a charge on the house and so the council paid her care fees but once she did pass I then had to sell the property and pay the council off before I split the remaining estate between my brother and I. She was in the home for just over 2 years and the charge on the property was in excess of £50k!!! She was in a nursing home as she had dementia but it was a shock. They stop charging you the full amount when the money you have in savings / equity gets down to £23k and then when its get down to something like £13k you don't have to pay as they have to leave enough to reasonably cover funeral and estate costs.

I had to complete yearly audits and submit everything I had authorised her money to be spent on. One thing we did do though was pre-pay a funeral plan out of her savings and the LPA people approved that.

Its a minefield once you get into the whole paying for care.