Hello - this is my first post here, so thanks in advance for your input.
Does anyone have any experience/bright ideas about financially facilitating food shops for my aunt who has dementia but has full-time live in care. I am at the stage that I need to move from 3rd party authority on my aunt's bank accounts to take over Power of Attorney and full control. My aunt insists on going to Sainsburys once a week (practically her only outing some weeks so I want her to continue to do this as long as she is physically capable, but once the bank insist on taking away her Debit Card I need a good method to allow her and her carers to pay for the shopping - ideally that is secure and doesn't have pin codes!! At the moment I already write all the cheques and take care of large cost items/repairs - or my aunt's carers have recourse to a locked Kitty that they have the key to. I want a way to fund the shopping when I am working remotely from my aunt and her carers. I use online shopping occassionally to send bulky items or things my aunt won't buy but are needed by the carers for the household.
One of the lovely ladies on the Alzheimers Society's helpline suggested a Sainsbury's Shopping Card which looks, after some research and a call to Sainsburys, practically perfect. Has anyone used it? You can top up online up to £75 a time, but can top up in store up to £750. Looks very good as it doesn't require a PIN number, there are 2 cards and if cards get lost they can be replaced. Can be used by both my aunt and her carers, or by one of the carers without my aunt. Any thoughts or experience with these anyone.
Also does anyone have any experience on taking over someone's bank account as Power of Attorney but wanting to facilitate some financial independence for someone who is cared for at home. The bank in question seems to have a default position of removing someone's debit cards straight away once Power of Attorney is invoked. They don't seem to realise that there are degrees of mental capacity and that not everyone wants to move in to a home when they have dementia, yet need increasing support to retain some semblance of independence.
Thanks.
Does anyone have any experience/bright ideas about financially facilitating food shops for my aunt who has dementia but has full-time live in care. I am at the stage that I need to move from 3rd party authority on my aunt's bank accounts to take over Power of Attorney and full control. My aunt insists on going to Sainsburys once a week (practically her only outing some weeks so I want her to continue to do this as long as she is physically capable, but once the bank insist on taking away her Debit Card I need a good method to allow her and her carers to pay for the shopping - ideally that is secure and doesn't have pin codes!! At the moment I already write all the cheques and take care of large cost items/repairs - or my aunt's carers have recourse to a locked Kitty that they have the key to. I want a way to fund the shopping when I am working remotely from my aunt and her carers. I use online shopping occassionally to send bulky items or things my aunt won't buy but are needed by the carers for the household.
One of the lovely ladies on the Alzheimers Society's helpline suggested a Sainsbury's Shopping Card which looks, after some research and a call to Sainsburys, practically perfect. Has anyone used it? You can top up online up to £75 a time, but can top up in store up to £750. Looks very good as it doesn't require a PIN number, there are 2 cards and if cards get lost they can be replaced. Can be used by both my aunt and her carers, or by one of the carers without my aunt. Any thoughts or experience with these anyone.
Also does anyone have any experience on taking over someone's bank account as Power of Attorney but wanting to facilitate some financial independence for someone who is cared for at home. The bank in question seems to have a default position of removing someone's debit cards straight away once Power of Attorney is invoked. They don't seem to realise that there are degrees of mental capacity and that not everyone wants to move in to a home when they have dementia, yet need increasing support to retain some semblance of independence.
Thanks.