Long-term care costs millions of older people their homes and life savings. Yet many do not realise that their careers, religion or family trees could secure a place in one of the hundreds of subsidised care homes and sheltered housing developments for restricted groups. Old soldiers, retired entertainers, Jews, Methodists and the descendants of Huguenots are among those who can cash in.

The subsidies offered can make a significant difference. For example, the Royal Star and Garter nursing home for ex-servicemen and women in Richmond, southwest London, spends more than twice what it charges in fees (from £700 a week) on each resident’s care. The home also meets a funding shortfall of hundreds of pounds a week for residents with assets of less than £20,500, who are eligible for limited state help.

Kate Jopling, of Help the Aged, says: “For people who are comfortable in that kind of close community and willing to move from their home area, the added value is definitely something to consider.”

Jessie Millard, “87-and-a-half”, made the move from the Isle of Wight to the Star and Garter four years ago after a stroke left her wheelchair-bound. She was a nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the Second World War and now enjoys a full programme of activities, from pizza-making and choir practice to garden parties at Buckingham Palace. “It’s not a place where the residents sit in a semicircle around the TV,” says a fellow resident Ted Jones, 88.

Not far from the Star and Garter, in Twickenham, is Brinsworth House, a care home for retired entertainers. It is operated and subsidised by the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund, the charity behind the royal variety performances. The residents include veterans of music hall and cabaret, plus the occasional clown. Among the perks are a bar and regular shows from the likes of Ronnie Corbett and Danny La Rue.

One happy resident is Reg Brigden, 85, who worked as a magician in the East End of London after a wartime stint in the Royal Air Force. Mr Brigden was spoilt for choice when he came to look for a care home in 1993. His background in the Armed Forces gave him the option of applying for subsidised care at the Star and Garter or one of the Royal British Legion’s seven care homes, as well as at Brinsworth.

The range of organisations that operate these homes means that it is highly likely that you or someone you know will qualify. Retired fire fighters, farmers, nurses and journalists can all benefit, as can members of certain religions and denominations. In many cases, the widows and unmarried daughters of those who are eligible receive the same help. However, most homes have waiting lists, so advance research is worthwhile.

The internet is a good starting point when trying to find out whether you or a relative could benefit. Try typing the name of a relevant profession, trade or religious denomination into the search engine Google, along with “care home” and “UK”. The Elderly Accommodation Council’s site at www.housingcare.org is a useful resource and features several relevant homes. Also contact the NHFA free on 0800 998833. Advisers should be able to put you on the right track.

An interesting case is the French Hospital, La Providence, in Rochester, Kent. It is a development of 60 self-contained flats offering cut-price sheltered housing to Protestant descendants of Huguenots – refugees who fled religious persecution in France in two waves in the late 16th and 17th centuries. Peter Duval, deputy governor of La Providence, says that a vast number of white Britons – perhaps 80 per cent – have Huguenot ancestry, though most are unaware of it. The rewards for tracing a Huguenot line could be significant. Residents pay 10 per cent less than local council tenants and receive free heating and hot water, a TV licence, laundry service and warden cover in a gated enclave. Activities include French lessons, art classes and wine tastings.

Among La Providence’s most established residents is Violet Trapaud, 92, a retired civil servant from Sidcup, southeast London. She moved in months after discovering the hospital on a visit to friends in Rochester in 1984. The Huguenot Society – an organisation linked to La Providence – helped Mrs Trapaud to prove that her late husband, John, had Huguenot roots. “He knew his surname was French, but he didn’t know a thing about the Huguenots,” she says.

Those with a “broadly professional” background may like to consider the Mary Feilding Guild’s care home for the “active elderly”. The admission process for the home in Highgate, North London, weeds out those who would not “fit in” and has been likened to an Oxbridge entrance interview.

Fees for the home, which has spacious rooms in an Edwardian pile a short stroll from Kenwood House, start at a little more than £400 a week. “It’s amazingly affordable,” says Norah Spence, a 92-year-old resident. “It’s like staying at a hotel, with congenial company.”

Scandal of a care home system that no one understands timesonline.co.uk/consumeraffairs

Help is at hand

Age Concern says that the care funding system is now so complex that many local authority workers cannot fathom it. The charity advises all people looking at their options to seek independent advice.

For free guidance on funding, visit the NHFA website www.hsbcpensions.co.uk/nhfa or call 0800 998833. Alternatively, try CareAware on 0870 5134925 or online at www.careaware.co.uk .

For tailored advice on care for ex-servicemen and women, call the Royal British Legion. Its homes department, for advice on Legion homes, is on 020-7973 7294. Legionline, for advice on nonLegion homes, is 0845 7725725.

Fees climbing at a ‘frightening’ rate

Experts differ on the actual rate of fee increases in the care home market, but there is agreement that costs are rising ahead of inflation, writes Magnus Grimond.

William Laing, director of Laing & Buisson, a care home information provider, says that costs jumped in the two years after March 2003 as councils increased the rate they paid for subsidised residents.

“During that time, inflation in care home fees was very high. We have now reached a stage where inflation has levelled off,” he says.

However, Philip Spiers, of NHFA, an advisory offshoot of HSBC, says: “Traditionally, care home fees go up by a lot more than inflation each year. There’s no set rate. Some rise by 5 per cent, some by 20 per cent or more. It’s frightening.”

The price rises mean that you can expect to fork out more than £550 a week for a nursing home.

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