Day Care Centre advice please!

[Busybee67]

Hi everyone.

I am looking into my mum going to a day care centre for a couple of days a week. Dad is now at a stage where he desperately needs a break and has agreed to this after much persuasion from me. We have been in touch with social services and they have offered her a place at a NHS day care centre but when i have looked more into it it seems to be generally for the elderly (mum is only 69) and not specialised for dementia patients.
Is there such centres that specialise in dementia patients? We are prepared to go private but i have searched the internet for local private centres but am getting no where and don't know where to look next.
Any advice would be great. We are now reaching a new stage in mums dementia and i do not want to send her somewhere which will not be ideal. I have at last got dad to agree and i don't want to get this wrong for them both.

Busybee xx

[Izzy]

We are very lucky in that our local branch of Alzheimers Scotland has a day centre. They organise all sorts of groups for early Alzheimers and they also have full days for people who are a beyond the early stage. We pay £7.50 for Bill to go there from 10am to 3pm. This includes his lunch and snacks. I think we're very lucky. Do you have a local branch of the Alzheimer's Society? If so they might be able to point you in the right direction.

[jeany123]

My husband is 64 and has been going to a day centre for 2 days a week for nearly 2 years ,The one he goes to is for the elderly and he is the youngest there but there is no other available I had no choice .


He suffers from Vascular dementia and they do cater for that though.

[tre]

My husband aged 71 goes to a multi purpose day centre which caters for young adults up to elderly. It is Local Authority run. I was a bit apprehensive at first especiaaly as he hates large group activities and lots of noise but it works well. Although it does not specialise in dementia most of the people who are older do have dementia. They have a seperate quiet group with maximum half a dozen people and at least two staff which suits my husbands needs well.
I would go and have a look.
Tre

[Busybee67]

Thank you all for your replies. I will contact the local Alzheimers group tomorrow and see if they can help.

Tre, thanks for your reply. I think i will go and have a look at the group next week as you said. I am very apprehensive too about the whole thing but reading your post as made me think that maybe it would not be such a bad idea if the group was just not dementia patients.

Thanks again for your replies

Busybee xx

[danny]

Hi, little tip. Don`t mention the phrase `day care `. We use lunch club, club day,mens club in fact anything that doesn`t conjure up care.

There are more and more groups/day support clubs in the community, its just not quite easy to find them!!!

Good luck.

[Izzy]

Hi, little tip. Don`t mention the phrase `day care `. We use lunch club, club day,mens club in fact anything that doesn`t conjure up care.

There are more and more groups/day support clubs in the community, its just not quite easy to find them!!!

Good luck.

That's what worked with Bill - men's group!

[Chemmy]

Some care homes do day care too. Might be worth a look.

[Spiro]

Izzy

I am amazed your day centre is so inexpensive; I had to read your post a couple of times to make sure I wasn't misreading it. You are very lucky indeed. Does the price include transport there and back and activities as well, or are these extras?

There aren't any Alzheimers Society day centres in my area and the local council run day centre costs at least six times as much including transport, activities and lunch and snacks. The price is worked out after having a financial assessment by social services and in theory includes a respite care allowance as well.

[tobermory]

My mum goes to the Mindcare dementia centre twice a week and loves it but it is private. She used to have a subsidised place at the Alzheimer's centre but when reassessments came in she ended up having to pay all the costs so we transferred her to Mindcare for both days! Try and have a look on Mindcare website.

[tre]

I was amazed the Scottish Day Care was so inexpensive too. Ours in Herts costs £40 per day from 10.00am until 3.00 pm, lunch and drinks are extra (generally between £4 and £5 pounds a day ) and the transport is an extra £2 on top.
This is still not bad in comparison to the private Care Agency I use to give me an extra two hours on a third day. This costs £31 ( £ 15.50 per hour ) at present but should my husband's needs increase the hourly rate is over £18. The day care would work out at £77.50 plus extras at the lower rate so it is a bargain at £40.
Before you ask why I do not spend the extra £9 for a third day of Day Care the answer is you can only have what they assess you as needing. I think we were lucky as our Care Co-ordinator recommended 2 days at the outset. She told me her manager might want to only offer one day but if that happened she would put in an immediate appeal but luckily the two days were approved from the outset.
We are self funding but that makes no difference.
Tre

[ggma]

Some people find the noise level and activity in a day service too much, and for our Mum we were able to arrange for a worker from the Shared Lives (used to be known as Family Based Care) to spend time with Mum each week. There was a charge for this but it was a personal service tailored to her needs and interests and it worked, she would never have agreed to go to a day service, even though there was a Alzehimers group in a local hall.

If you feel a group setting is ok, then a service which has the right equipment and staff to work with disabled people, should be able to offer a service. I have known services where people with MS, Acquired brain injuries, and other disabilies and illnesses all attend with people who have dementia and they have got on really well together, they can still offer friendship and companionship to each other and get pleasure from their days.

[Busybee67]

Thank you so very much for your advice and help. I did spend the day yesterday on the internet and have email several places. I so how find it difficult to pick the phone up at this moment as i feel a bit emotional to have reach this stage but we have also reached a stage where we all need a little break. I feel guilty saying that as i am only looking at 2 days a week!! I can not imagine how it feels for some of you when looking at full time care. I am just desperate to get this sorted as my poor dad is at breaking point.
Thank you all once again you are very kind.

Busybee xx

[jeany123]

I felt the same when first getting a day centre for Allen 2 days a week ,He didn't want to go and I worried all day the first time he went ,he came home happy saying he had had a good time and since then he has never looked back ,he has people to talk to they have entertainment ,and he tells me all about it "well the bits he remembers and his story changes every 5 minutes " he enjoys his lunch and has made friends . I get to shop without having to worry about him I can hoover the floor without the noise upsetting him , I can just do a bit gardening without him wanting to go in the house every 2 minutes and I don't need to worry about him having panic attacks if he can't see me if I am hanging the washing on the line, going in the shower or even just putting something in the bin, I am sure it will help ,I hope that you get sorted and that everything works out well for your mum and dad .


Jeany x