Retired RAF wing commander 'dies penniless after using savings for dementia care' They said that he didn't qualify because he had his RAF pension, savings and a house that he sold to pay for his care. It's the system that is at fault. My dad served his country but his country failed to serve him. Mr Beckett joined the army after leaving school in 1939. He served with the Home Guard with his father during World War Two before he was commissioned to the RAF where he rose to become a wing commander. He married his late wife Joan in 1947 and had three children before finally settling in Penmaenmawr in the 1960s where in retirement he playing golf and enjoyed his hobby of building and fixing clocks. The couple had three grandchildren but Joan passed away aged 79 in 2002 and four years later Mr Beckett started showing signs of dementia. Gill was told that her father would have to move to a care home for his own safety but officials at Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board said he did not qualify for Continuing Health Care payments as he had more than £23,000 of savings. Gill said: "My dad had an amazing life - he went rocket testing in Australia and during the cold war he was interviewing prisoners at Spandau Prison and worked with the British secret service. He was a bit of a James Bond - the Russians wanted him at one time and put out his picture to say that he wasn't allowed in their country. I'm not sure how true that is but it's what my dad used to tell us. In October 2006 I got a phone call from a local British Gas man. The water tank had flooded my dad's house so he'd called them out. However the gas man rang me because he was concerned that my dad had appeared confused. I was really worried so took him to the doctors who did tests on him and he was diagnosed with vascular dementia. I used to see him on a regular basis but I must have missed little signs because I saw him so often so it was harder to notice things, plus he had hidden quite a lot from us for ages. I do wish I saw the signs earlier. Gill said: "The government will not fund anyone with more than that and dad had a five bedroom house and an RAF pension. Altogether it was about £160,000 of his savings that he had to use - including selling his house - over six years. He didn't know what was really going on. I know that there was nothing that we could do about it because someone had to take care of him. When he was assessed I was told that he had quite a few severe needs and qualified for help. But they then moved him to another home that they said met his needs better rather than funding him. They kept moving the goal posts. He was in a wheelchair and he was double incontinent and had sepsis - how poorly do you need to be to get help? The Board finally agreed to pay for Mr Beckett's care from September 3 but he died just a week later on September 10. Geoff's family, who are now battling to retrospectively claim some of his money. Gill said: "10 days before he died we finally got the confirmation that he would have his care paid for - but it was too late and he died on 10. I was told to cancel his direct debit - but it was too little, too late. He definitely warranted help from the government. Some people are left with nothing after they die because they have been made to spend all their life savings on their own care and it's not right. He was such an amazing person and had such an incredible career in the RAF. This is why I was so upset and angry at the way he was treated. The staff at both homes were brilliant. They all even came to the funeral and have been supporting me ever since he passed away. It's too late for my family but I hope this helps other families to safe guard their inheritance. We all want to help out children and grandchildren and pass money down the line but there is little to show for what an amazing life my dad had. Of course I'm glad he was in a good home where he was treated with such respect, dignity and love. It's a shame that he didn't get the same treatment from the government. A spokesman for the Betsi Cadwaladr board said: "People are eligible for NHS healthcare funding if their main care requirements are to address health needs. This need is determined by an assessment carried out by a range of NHS staff, colleagues from local authorities and other professionals involved in a patient's care, according to a national framework. This framework considers the nature and intensity of a person's needs, how different needs interact with each other and whether the needs fluctuate over time. Further reviews are undertaken when care needs are deemed to have changed. A request for re-assessment can be made by those delivering care, the individual themselves, or a family member. Where individuals wish to apply retrospectively for reimbursement, the Board makes a determination whether eligibility was correctly determined at the time. Earlier this year David Cameron pledged to end the heartache of tens of thousands of elderly people who are forced to sell their homes to fund long-term care. He said he wanted to implement recommendations that cap the amount individuals pay at £35,000 - with the taxpayer picking up any further bills.