social service assessment + care home query

[sheila d]

Social Services are pushing Dad to fill in their finacial assessment form. As Mum will be self funding for 6-12 months, do we have to complete the form now and is there any benefit to us in doing so. ?

Secondly, I am going to have to start the search for a care home next week as Dad is not going to be able to cope with her. She has significant mental health problems and she cannot walk or look after herself. What sort of care home do I need ? I think I have to have an EMI bed, but does she also need a nursing home, or can a normal care home deal with her immobility ?

I really don't know what I am doing.

 

[cynron]

Dear Sheila.

Speaking for myself as a self funder, I did not have to fill out any financial form it was not needed until my husbands savings were below a certain level and you could apply for some help with the fees.

You can research EMI homes in your area on the net.The home will want to assess your Mum to see if they can meet her needs.

They will only take HER savings in to account.

Hope this helps,most of what you need to know is in the help sheets on this site.

Love cynthia x x

 

[germain]

Hello,

Our Mum is self funding for now but will soon run out. We filled in the SS form as soon as we knew she was going into the CH. Mum's SW passed our details on to the LA finance dept as soon as the CH assessment had been done and within a week we had been contacted and a really helpful fellow came out from the Finance Dept and helped us fill it all in. He even did a provisional assessment of how much we would have to pay once Mum's money went down below £21,500. A week later he sent us the final assessment.

He told us that as our Mum would be self funding for only about six months, then it was much easier to get everything sorted out at the start. Then, when we transferred from totally self funded to LA partial funding it would be much quicker and easier. All we have to do now is send him the bank statements which show the drop in capital to under £21.5K and he will do the rest- he even left stamped addresed envelopes with us.


It was really easy and the guy was very helpful. Not sure if its a particular feature of our LA that they push for this but it seems to have been painless so far - and I think such a relief to know what the financial situation is, so far ahead.
One less worry for us.

Regards
Germain

 

[Skye]

Sheila, if you're self-funding, you don't have to fill in an assessment form. But I was advised that if I was likely to be claiming in the future, ie if the funds were likely to get down to £21,500, it was better to fill in the form at the beginning. That way, when you come to claim, all the checking will have been done, and you can easily show where the money has gone. It's not essential, though.

As for homes, John is in the EMI section of a care home. Many of the patients cannot walk, or only walk with two carers. You should discuss this with the homes you like, and also with your social worker. EMI and Nursing homes cost more than residential, and if SS are going to have to pick up the costs later, you need to check with them what they will fund. Here, the SW liaised with the CH manager, and they agreed on the care needed, but I don't know if this is the same in England.

Good luck with your search, I hope you find somewhere suitable.

 

[Clive]

Hi Sheila

You may find it is an advantage to make sure your parents do not keep their savings in a joint bank account. If they do Social Services may decide that half the reducing balance always belongs to your mum and not just half the starting figure.

Regards

Clive

 

[jenniferpa]

My feeling is that while you don't have to at this time, 6 months to a year isn't very long at all.

As to what kind of home - there has been a blurring of definitions and I don't think that being immobile necessarily means nursing care. In fact, if she really is truly immobile you may not need EMI strictly speaking, since once of the important aspect of that type of care is it's secure nature - if your mother relies on other people to move her then she's not going to be escaping. I was actually told that by one home - they were willing to accept dementia sufferes but only if they weren't (or couldn't be) wanderers. However, the advantage of an EMI home is that they "should" be better trained, have more staff etc, and that shouldn't be discounted.

I assume you're aware that when LA funding kicks in they may be only prepared to pay a certain amount. Many homes will accept less from a LA funded patient than a self-funded patient, but some will not. You do need to work out what the LA will pay and if your prospective home will either accept it or if you can afford to top-up, othereise you may be faced with moving her at that time.

 

[sheila d]

thank you

Thank you for all the helpful replies, I am working on the joint accounts now, but Dad is finding it confusing and things are going very slowly.

I was going to start looking at homes next week and I thought I would start with the homes where I know that there are LA funded beds available. That way hopefully when the money goes, Mum would not need to be moved and the LA could simply take over the bed - or is that not the case?

 

[Skye]

Sheila, that is the case, but if the fees for self-funders are higher than the LA maximum, you might have to pay the difference. It's as well to check this with SW first.

 

[DickG]

Hi Sheila

Over the past few months I have gone through the process of selecting a care home and have today completed a financial assessment. Whilst nothing is easy in this game I have found social services very helpful and understanding.

As you are, like me, from Gloucetershire your local social services office will give you a copy of their care home brochure which lists most of the care homes in the county - with that and www.csci.gov.uk you have lots of information to hand. If you live in the Cotswolds I may be of help with information on care homes etc. if so send me a PM.

Dick

 

[merlin]

Hi Sheila

My wife is now in a home with nursing care. Presumably that equates to an EMI home that you mention. She is self funding by dint of splitting the joint A/C but will soon be running down to the £20,500 and then on down to £12,500 where the LA fully kicks in with the funding.

Social services were helpfull with regard to the financial assessment and said it was a pretty quick turnround so there was no great hurry. However be aware that the LA funding even with a nursing allowance is well short of the homes cost (in our area at least) and apparently they also take her pension which is grossly unfair as she paid the full stamp all her working life and therefore has a state pension in her own right.

The only advice they gave me was negotiate with the home for a cheaper room when the time comes. I sure will have to do that as the current shortfall just about takes up my company pension which of course is taxed as well!

I hope all goes well and like a previous thread I can give a few pointers for surrey.

Merlin