A long-term care specialist adviser has joined forces with a solicitors' office to launch a joint services brand.
Palm Financial Care and Vincents Solicitors have created joint brand Carepal and Carepal Law in an aim to offer a full service for the increasing care needs of the aging population.
Phillip Gilmore, managing partner of Vincents Solicitors, said the firm had had poor experiences first-hand when arranging long-term care support for elderly relatives and led to partnering with a specialist advice firm.
Full Care Home Fees funding is only available to those people who have assets totalling less than £14,250 including property and 39% of those in Care are paying for it with existing savings that rapidly dwindle.
Carepal and Carepal Law will work together to offer practical long-term care advice for clients.
Liz Faye, managing director of Palm Financial Care, said: "Many of our clients come to us worried about what will happen to their family home and savings when faced with long term care costs of around £24,000 per year on average and the majority are unaware of the options available. Our aim is to make information about how to pay for care more readily available."
Gilmore said Vincents will provide the legal aspects of client needs to ensure the right framework is in place for clients making difficult decisions on behalf of relatives who do not possess mental capacity to decide themselves.
Carepal also includes an appeals and claims service to assist funding decisions made by the local authority or NHS Continuing Care.
David Carrington, marketing director at Personal Touch Financial Services, said the vast majority of the network's member firms did not offer long-term care advice, but had noted real interest in offering legal services as part of their proposition.
He said: "Adviser can see the value in this and there is demand from their clients, especially with will writing. It sits very nicely with the specialist advisers that focus on protection.
"Most are keen to understand more but feel they do not know where to start or how to get into it."
Personal Touch Financial Services told COVER in May that plans were set to happen this year to offer a legal proposition for members.
The network also reported - after gauging member views in general compliance meetings - that adviser were by no means "clambering over themselves" to offer long-term care advice services.
