Stroke survivor's plea after £60,000 care bill

A double stroke survivor and his wife have spent more than £60,000 of their savings on care and say they have been punished for working and saving all their lives.

Former gamekeeper and farmer George Cooke, 85, collapsed last year at his home in Flagg, Derbyshire, and has been left bed bound, with limited speech and no use of one arm.

His wife Jean, 85, disclosed their savings to Derbyshire County Council (DCC) who assessed them to be ineligible for financial support and the couple are now asking for reform to the social care system.

Councillor Joss Barnes said: "Who pays for care in this country is a wider national issue and I'll be interested to see how the government is going to solve it."

Jean said she felt "gutted", adding: "I just think the system is not fair. People should not have to pay when they've worked all their life."

Age UK Derby and Derbyshire said stories like this are "unfortunately repeated many times in Derbyshire and across England", and they regret the loss of advocacy services which would have helped people like George and Jean.

The pair married in 1959 and Jean worked alongside him on their pig farm, administering injections and taking the animals to the market.

George continued to work into his mid eighties until August 2025, when he suffered a double stroke and was taken to Chesterfield Royal Hospital for six weeks.

"He has a catheter in, he can't walk, he can't do anything for himself. I can't leave him with this food - I have to cut it all up, in case he chokes," said Jean.

"All he wanted to do was get home and get out of bed, which he couldn't."

Upon his release from hospital, George said he received NHS funded personal care for four weeks and was assigned a DCC social worker who assessed the couple's case, including their banking information.

Jean asked the social worker and their doctor about NHS Continuing Care, a package of care for people who are assessed as having a "primary health need" funded by the NHS.

The couple said they were told George did not qualify because he did not have dementia and the funded support stopped.

DCC has since said: "Local authority funding is not related to diagnosis and no diagnosis of dementia is required as a result."

The Cookes say they have been paying £4,500 a month for carers from React Homecare, who George described as "marvellous", to provide personal care four times a day.

"We had to pick up the bill because we had money in the bank. While that money's there, we've got to pay for it, but as soon as the money's gone, then we get some free care for him," said Jean.

The couple have also recently spent £2,800 on a customised chair for George, £1,000 on an accessible shower and £3,300 on respite care while the shower was being fitted.

"I've got nothing left," said George, with his limited speech. "It's terrible."

When asked if the social care system needed to be changed, he said: "Certainly".

The family have alerted DCC that George and Jean's savings have decreased to about £20,000 and they have now been reassigned a social worker.

The Cookes' daughter, Angela Besson, said she was hopeful this would lead to some financial support with George's care.

"We were well looked after. Mum was doing a job. Dad was doing a job. They looked after their money. They worked for their retirement. For what? For nothing," she said.

"I want people or the system to change, so that it's not just my mum going through this."

DCC's cabinet member for adult care, councillor Joss Barnes, said: "People believe that social care is free for all, but this isn't the case.

"Social care is not free and anyone receiving support is asked to contribute toward the cost.

"The contribution is means-tested and if you have more than £23,250 in savings, you have to pay the cost of your care - which is in line with national guidance and the same as other local authorities in the UK.

"We're in touch with the family and we will be carrying out a further financial assessment to identify if he is eligible for funding from us," she added.

Katy Pugh, Chief Executive of Age UK Derby and Derbyshire, said: "The cost of care, in every sense, can be crippling and feel overwhelming.

"The impact on Jean is financial but more importantly emotional and will affect her long-term health and wellbeing.

"We really regret the loss of advocacy services, funding for [support services] for conditions like strokes because they helped people like Jean and George before, during and after their care needs.

"Our information and advice service can check they are getting everything they are entitled to. Benefits like Attendance Allowance are not means-tested," she added.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was not possible to comment on individual cases.

They said: "We recognise that needing care can place significant emotional and financial pressures on individuals and their loved ones.

"Anyone concerned about paying for care should contact their local authority, which can provide advice on the support available and whether they may be eligible for assistance with care costs.

"As the Prime Minister and Secretary of State have made clear, this government wants to see rapid progress on adult social care reform, and Baroness Casey's Commission is considering important questions including how care should be funded in a fair and sustainable way."

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