My husband and I are in our 70s. He has Alzheimer’s disease. We are comfortably off – he has a £25,000 a year pension and I receive £2,500 a year state pension but also have £200,000-plus of investments. Our pensions and investments are such that we pay little tax and we own our home. Am I/is he entitled to any benefits such as attendance allowance/carer’s allowance, given his health problems? What are these worth, how straightforward is it to get them, and how are they taxed?

Sally West, policy officer at Age Concern England, says attendance allowance is paid to anyone who needs help with personal care, needs supervision, or needs to be watched over because of a physical or mental illness or disability. Your husband’s entitlement to it will be measured by the amount of help he needs. As Alzheimer’s is a progressive illness, over time he will need more help.