It’s easy not to think about your pension while you are working and earning a salary. But now that life expectancy is longer, you could live for decades without earning after retirement. A woman who is 80 is on average expected to live to 91 and a man who is 80 now is on average expected to live to 89.

Many people are concerned that the cost of their future care home fees will reduce their childrens’ inheritance. So they are interested in finding ways to avoid having to pay fees. The local authority has a duty to provide residential care for the elderly and disabled if such care is needed. The local authority carry out a means test and if you have more than £23,250 in capital then you must pay the care home fees from your own funds without any assistance from the public purse.

You may remember that the Coalition Government introduced a cap on care home fees so that no person would ever have to pay more than £72,000 for care throughout their entire lifetime.

I broke my ankle about a week before I was due to go on holiday. Whilst I don’t begin to compare my injury with the disabilities that some of my clients have, it was eye opening to see how disabled people are treated when they fly. It was quickly clear to me that there was no way I could walk the distances at the airport or even just stand in the queue to go through security. I went online to see what help there was for me and how much it would cost.

The DWP has just published some astonishing figures revealing the level of welfare benefits which are available but not claimed. They have calculated that there are benefits worth £14 – 15 billion a year to which people are entitled but the benefits are not claimed.