Carer's Assessment

[Benjamin]

Hi all, I often lurk about on the site but rarely post anything; my life isn't great but nothing as bad as so many of you are living. OH has Alzheimer's and whilst his speech is still quite good his memory is very, very poor, plus now he has cataracts on both eyes and is due to have his first operation in a few weeks time. He has a befriender through the RAF Association once a fortnight for 3 hours so that I can spend a little time on me, apart from that he hates being alone or being unable to see me, so my world has become quite small.

Anyway, I have a carer's assessment tomorrow and I wonder if anyone can tell me what this entails, what I should expect from it or am I wasting my time. Any advice/info will be very welcome.

 

[la lucia]

Hello, I suspect a lot of people lurk before posting.... I did ☺

The outcome of the Carer's Assessment depends on whether the person you care for is self-funding or not. New rules came into force last April and they are sufficiently vague that they enable most Local Authorities to offer very little in terms of real help.

So the government makes the assessment a legal right and the local authority gets the box ticked....

Maybe one or two authorities offer something like respite but most make the person with dementia pay for the care even though it's the carer who requires the break.. I came away furious with mine.

BUT..... you may be lucky so whatever you do don't play down your responsibilities and how trapped you are. Some offer vouchers for a gym visit or a massage or whatever but nothing substantial.

If the person you care for is not self-funding you may get an offer of a few days respite.

Have some goals prepared before you go - what would really benefit you? Would regular sitters help or a week's holiday?

Sorry to sound so pessimistic and I really hope yours is better than mine was. I would really appreciate hearing from you about the outcome as I am trying to keep track of how different authorities deal with it.

The formula they use to decide is about as obscure as it gets so make sure that you really emphasise what would help you (not the person that you care for).

This assessment is about you and what would help you to keep healthy and not burn out.

Please keep us posted and best of luck.

 

[Diannie]

I am so sorry if I sound the prophet of doom. I left it as long as I could before I had my Assessment although I kept being urged to have one by Dementia Adviser and GP. Eventually had it last Monday. It was as unhelpful and demoralising as I had been warned it would be. Yes. It boils down to whether you are a self funder or not. Basically I was told as we are not eligible for benefits we would have to fund any care or respite ourselves. Hope you have better luck.


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[Caz60]

I'm just waiting on the financial assessment being looked at to find out how much we will have to pay towards 1/2 an hour for a few days to help dressing and bathing on a morning and a daycare ,once a week .Across the board all applicants if eligible are given £12.55 and then you make it up or are in a position where it will be paid for you
Additional to this I myself am offered 28 days respite per year and you have optional ways to use it .
Respite for my hubby at a small cost of £14 .50 per night or it can be used towards another daycare ,or to pay a sitter while I have a few hours off .


It sounds wonderful let's hope it works out that way ,I will keep in touch .




By the way ,I haven't given any financial information about myself only joint account with hubby's pensions in .

 

[Trisha4]

Our local council have a sitting service which is not means tested. I am entitled to one sit of up to 6 hours once a fortnight. Also sits to cover any medical appointments, including dentist, that I have.


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[Selinacroft]

I'm very fortunate and my local authority do offer good support compared to others. I have found the sitting service extremely useful- not for sitting but for assitance with light housework. Dad is self funding but this service is free for me as respite through the sitting service. I get 2 hours a week from an agency free of charge.
I also get a £300 grant towards respite which I used to stay on a farm for a few nights. As someone already mentioned it is still a costly break if your caree is self funding but better than a poke in the eye.
They may perhaps help with an educational course, or a gym course . If you don't ask you don't get.

 

[Lynng]

Just wondered, are there authorities out there who actually give something for free to self funders and/or their carers? I've been caring for mum for the past 12 months and have been offered nothing to date that doesn't have a cost apart from some carers courses which although very good are no use to me as I work full time.

 

[Diannie]

I agree with Lynng. I would be interested to know as well. Sorry to sound so cynical


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[Benjamin]

Many thanks for all your replies. It doesn't sound too hopeful does it. I assume from the comments made that we will have to undergo a financial assessment which leads me to think we would be self-funding. I know there's no such thing as a 'free lunch' but it would make such a difference if carers were treated a little better and shown a tad more respect for the role we undertake. Hey ho. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[jennypie]

Just reading this thread in interest as I'm having a carers assessment next week and have been filling the forms in but being self funding not sure what the benefit will be. Il let you know!


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[Spamar]

I would say have the assessment, you never know, even in these straitened times! As OH died 19 months ago, I'm not up to speed with the latest, and all LAs are different. However, we did get some grabrails free not too long before he went into care, three months before he died. When we came here, 11 years ago, we revamped the house and included several grab rails, higher loos and a few other things for me, as I have arthritis. His requirements were slightly different to mine and the extra grabrails were good for both of us.
He was self funding btw. Other things have come my way as a carer, but no longer available.

 

[Philbo]

Everyone kept telling me I should contact Adult Social Services, to allert them to the fact that I care full time for my wife, who has dementia (FTD).

She's been diagnosed for 3 years and I have never had any respite, apart from an hour every 6 weeks, when her sister takes her to the hairdresser.

Well, I am afraid that as soon as they realised we had savings, they said that as we would be self funding, all an assessment would do is signpost where we could go for any help. As much use, then, as a chocolate fireguard!

Here in East Kent, we do have a very good network of voluntry/charitable organisations, that seem to link together well to try and make up for the lack of "official" support.

One such organisation "Crossroads Care", sent their local organiser round. He's an ex NHS mental health practitioner and spent several hours explaining about FTD, what suppport was or wasn't available and provided some really good advice. He put us in touch with several other support organisations, one of which arranged for my wife to get a tracker-type "watch" (we'd lost her a couple of times, albeit only for a short while). This was sorted out within a week and all funded by the County Authority (not means tested). It has given me peace of mind - I go everywhere with her but it's so easy to loose sight of her, especially in busy environments.

Crossroads can provide a 3 hours a week respite carer visit, but you have to go on their waiting list - currently around a year!

 

[Diannie]

Yes. Philbo is correct. They wanted to see all bank statements going back for the past year. All pension slips, council tax, utility bills etc. As soon as they saw private pension and no mortgage it was "sorry. You can afford to be self funding"


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[tss502]

In Wales we only have to pay the first £60 per week of any home care costs - the Council then picks up what's over and above that. If you use your own agency you pay the top-up, as the current rate that the council will pay is around £11 per hour. Private care is much more expensive than this generally, but worth it if you feel you've found an agency you can trust. Just to add that this isn't means tested.

 

[Selinacroft]

Just wondered, are there authorities out there who actually give something for free to self funders and/or their carers? I've been caring for mum for the past 12 months and have been offered nothing to date that doesn't have a cost apart from some carers courses which although very good are no use to me as I work full time.

Hi Lynng

Yes per my post above. Dad is self funding but I get 12 therapy vouchers, 4 cinema vouchers, beachut for3 days, sitting service for 2 hours a week plus £300 holiday grant. Also been on Free ST John Ambulance Courses and have regular trips organised through carer support group plus holiday lodges available although no use to me as can't stay with dog. very supportive local authority but our area is filled with retired population so maybe they get extra funds from gov't to enable them to cope.
None of this is means tested but acssed through carers assessment .
Nothing free for Dad as self funding

 

[Casbow]

I amazed at the differences of help offered by different local authorities. I though the government decided what help the councils (Social services) should offer their clients. Seems to me everyone makes up their own rules. If someone offered my free gym once a week I wouldn't be able to go. I cannot leave my husband on his own. So to go to the gym (Or anywhere) I would have to either pay someone to sit in or use my precious 3 hours a week that is funded. Those few hours are used to do all sorts of things, Dentist, Hair, Bank, Vets, Buying clothes (not often) never go anywhere. Or just catching up with friends. Sometimes even walking the dog as I can't get her out much. Whi decides what we carers can have, (or not.)x

 

[Benjamin]

Had the assessment this morning, an interesting chat, even without conducting a financial assessment I was told that because OH has an RAF 30 year service pension he would be self funding, there would be no unpaid support from Adult Services. They could (perhaps) arrange a sitter once a week to enable me to get some time out of the house or get me some help with the housework, everything at a minimum charge £14 per hour. She asked me more than once what we spend the Attendance Allowance on. All in all, no help whatsoever, just another box ticked for them and a massive amount of anger and frustration for me.

I've felt for some time that I'm on my own with this, no support from the family, no support from the Memory Clinic as we've been discharged from that service and referred back to our GP, now I know for sure. Well, I'll take care of us and woe betide anyone that tries to interfere or give me 'advice' in the future.

 

[la lucia]

I'm very fortunate and my local authority do offer good support compared to others. I have found the sitting service extremely useful- not for sitting but for assitance with light housework. Dad is self funding but this service is free for me as respite through the sitting service. I get 2 hours a week from an agency free of charge.
I also get a £300 grant towards respite which I used to stay on a farm for a few nights. As someone already mentioned it is still a costly break if your caree is self funding but better than a poke in the eye.
They may perhaps help with an educational course, or a gym course . If you don't ask you don't get.

But is this as the result of a Carer's Assessment that took place after April 2016? Sounds like you are in a REALLY 'good local authority'.

I've got a really serious medical appointment in April in London and I've just worked out it will cost about £500 to attend IF and it's a big if... I can even get cover to care for my mum for the 24 hours I'll be away...

 

[la lucia]

She asked me more than once what we spend the Attendance Allowance on. .

Sheesh........... I'm seeing red on your behalf. It's none of their bleeping business what the Attendance Allowance is spent on.

Yes, I am totally alone with it all too. Absolutely no one to help at all and even the services we could pay for such as domiciliary care are not available.... no carers. It's a 24/7 lock down except the 3 days daycare my mum pays £150 for. But I turn into a pumpkin if I am not back by 4pm. So forget going away or out in the evening.......

Folks if anyone is willing to pm me their local authorities and basic details of support offered or not. I'll try use my exile time constructively.... seeing as I am SUPPOSED to be a journalist...... grrrr. Total confidentiality of course......

 

[la lucia]

]I amazed at the differences of help offered by different local authorities. I though the government decided what help the councils (Social services) should offer their clients. Seems to me everyone makes up their own rules.

/QUOTE]


This is exactly how it is designed.... As I said previously, it's as vague as hell so it sounds good on paper, ticks the box and leaves enough wiggle room to do zilch if required .....

What makes me mad is my mum's local authority has outsourced the assessments to a famous carers org.... contract money that could have gone towards carers.

Said org never even bothered to put the result in writing and only let me know with obnoxiously obscure language about 'formulas' over the phone AFTER I chased them up. And apparently I am a top scoring case. But I get zilch...