Hello there!
I'm really relieved to find this forum I've been looking through some of the expert Q&As but havent found anything to help with our particular situation as of yet.
It regards my grandmother, who is rapidly declining in her mental capacity. She lives alone, about 100 yards from our house, and my parents and myself are trying to care for her full time between us as she has not been diagnosed just yet although it is clear she is suffering with a form of Alzheimar's.
She has already had the necessary blood tests, the 'addenbrooke's' cognitive assessment and a CT scan on her brain, the results of which are being held at a unit within the local hospital, who are not prepared to discuss these over the phone with us. The unit is also months behind, presumably due to COVID although this has been going on since long before lockdown. However in the meantime my nan is becoming less and less able, and we are stretched in how we can help her medically.
Here's the frustration: my dad and uncle are appointed as POAs, however, when my nan set these up she requested that these only come into force as and when she is deemed incapacitated, i.e. unable to make her own decisions. She is clearly at that stage, and the addenbrookes exam certainly confirmed this, however the doctor has point blank refused to perform a capacity test (as apparently they 'aren't doing these' at the moment) and they suggested a solicitor do the assessment instead. Has anyone heard of this? Our solicitor definitely hadn'! With my nan becoming increasingly more confused she is refusing private carers, because she is happy with us coming in and out - something that isn't feasible nor providing her with the level of care that she needs. We therefore cannot put professional care in place (even though it's in her best interests) as we have no way of activating the POAs, paying for it, or overriding her wishes in regards to health.
We feel as though we are currently being pushed round in circles, and the person being the most negatively impacted is my grandmother. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Are there any other routes that we can try in order to obtain this assessment to give us the ability to get the care in place that she desperately needs? We're all trying our best for her but it's not enough to keep her healthy and we are concerned that if we cannot find a resolution soon she will start to suffer more than she already is.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! x
I'm really relieved to find this forum I've been looking through some of the expert Q&As but havent found anything to help with our particular situation as of yet.
It regards my grandmother, who is rapidly declining in her mental capacity. She lives alone, about 100 yards from our house, and my parents and myself are trying to care for her full time between us as she has not been diagnosed just yet although it is clear she is suffering with a form of Alzheimar's.
She has already had the necessary blood tests, the 'addenbrooke's' cognitive assessment and a CT scan on her brain, the results of which are being held at a unit within the local hospital, who are not prepared to discuss these over the phone with us. The unit is also months behind, presumably due to COVID although this has been going on since long before lockdown. However in the meantime my nan is becoming less and less able, and we are stretched in how we can help her medically.
Here's the frustration: my dad and uncle are appointed as POAs, however, when my nan set these up she requested that these only come into force as and when she is deemed incapacitated, i.e. unable to make her own decisions. She is clearly at that stage, and the addenbrookes exam certainly confirmed this, however the doctor has point blank refused to perform a capacity test (as apparently they 'aren't doing these' at the moment) and they suggested a solicitor do the assessment instead. Has anyone heard of this? Our solicitor definitely hadn'! With my nan becoming increasingly more confused she is refusing private carers, because she is happy with us coming in and out - something that isn't feasible nor providing her with the level of care that she needs. We therefore cannot put professional care in place (even though it's in her best interests) as we have no way of activating the POAs, paying for it, or overriding her wishes in regards to health.
We feel as though we are currently being pushed round in circles, and the person being the most negatively impacted is my grandmother. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Are there any other routes that we can try in order to obtain this assessment to give us the ability to get the care in place that she desperately needs? We're all trying our best for her but it's not enough to keep her healthy and we are concerned that if we cannot find a resolution soon she will start to suffer more than she already is.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! x