Care home belongings may not be covered

A recent report has warned that belongings that are in care homes may not actually be covered by insurance, which means that many elderly people moving from their own home in to a care home with their belongings may find that their items are not actually covered. With no regulations to make care homes insure the belongings of residents, many elderly people may find that their precious belongings are at risk.

One official from Bupa, which has hundreds of care homes across the country, stated: ‘It’s the responsibility of individual residents, as stated in our terms and conditions. However, if we are responsible for an item being lost or damaged, we will reimburse the cost.’ He added: ‘In addition, we provide our residents with secure facilities such as a lockable drawer in their rooms.’

The reports claims that most care homes do provide a safe or a secure storage area where valuable such as expensive jewellery and other valuable items can be stashed away for protection. However, residents of these homes can look at taking out a stand alone policy similar to the type that students take out when moving into college or university accommodation.

However, officials have warned that finding one of these policies at an affordable price may prove difficult, as insurance providers may be wary because of the high risk of theft resulting from the applicant being in a shared accommodation where others may have easy access to their belongings.