What's the point of a Carers Assessment?

[la lucia]

I've just learned that in the county where my mother lives the Carers Assessment is nothing but a box ticking exercise.

The truth is that I smelled a rat as soon as I saw the buzzword du jour..... 'Wellbeing' .... but encouraged by the good folk here I went for it anyway.

The assessor was lovely and agreed that the politics of the whole exercise was distincly iffy - statutory assessments but no money to do anything. She told me that many people say exactly the same thing. ..

Namely why is something that is supposed to be for me 'the carer' assessed on my mother's finances?

So no respite except at the full price - around £1000 per week in this area, daycare maybe but full fees payable. Otherwise, nada, nothing, zilch......

Not a night off, not a day to free to catch up on my self-employed work to rescue a career that is fast disappearing. Nix.

If I end up unemployed and broke I will not be going to the DWP - I'll camp on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street.

I ended up saying that my experience has shown me that there's a lot of good people propping up a system that is nothing but a rancid, contract-winning, expensive round of box ticking. ....

I'm trapped despite my best efforts...

 

[marionq]

Why should some areas be so bad? I can't get the answer to this anywhere. Daycare us standard in most places at a subsidised rate if needed and I am outraged for you that they are not even offering a day! Are you able to tell us what area you are in to shame them against those areas with better provision?

 

[Beate]

It makes me so angry to hear this postcode lottery for care! Unfortunately this is down to the individual council and how they deal with costs for what is classed as "home care". The councils can set their own costs depending on their budgets. No help is absolutely ridiculous though and I'm very sorry you find yourself in this situation.

 

[Risa]

I don't understand how this is worked out in different parts of the UK. My Dad had a carers assessment done a week ago and he is entitled to 6 periods of respite (which could be a week long each time) plus we have chosen to receive direct payments to pay for a carer to look after Mum for several hours a week. None of this was means tested and none of it will have to be paid for by the family.

The only thing we will have to pay for at present is daycare (if my Mum can be persuaded to go) as Mum is over the financial threshold with her savings. This would cost around £52 a day but once her savings are below the limit, it will be paid for by the LA.

The social worker stressed several times that our family won't have to get into financial difficulties to pay for Mum's care and it was made very clear to us that the carers assessment was purely for Dad's needs and nothing to do with Mum's savings.

 

[la lucia]

Why should some areas be so bad? I can't get the answer to this anywhere. Daycare us standard in most places at a subsidised rate if needed and I am outraged for you that they are not even offering a day! Are you able to tell us what area you are in to shame them against those areas with better provision?

Don't know if I am allowed to name the council and as I was 'modded' for a wee passing mention of those papers leaked from central America - I'll leave it to 'South west'....

I thought the recent Acts were supposed to stop the postcode variations, but clearly not. If I get the time (ha ha) I'll have a dig into the law and maybe pitch an article to one of the nationals......

My usual (read past....) journalistic beat was conflict but if I don't do something constructive I'm in danger of crying - which is not much use to anyone - so keyboard here I come.

The stupid thing is as I am learning, so much money is now being wasted on multiple layers of organisational bureaucracy and box ticking instead of basic practical things.

 

[la lucia]

And thanks for replies everyone, much appreciated - it's good to know the system works in some places .

I wonder how I can find out the regional variations - phone bashing and website hunting I guess?

 

[la lucia]

The social worker stressed several times that our family won't have to get into financial difficulties to pay for Mum's care and it was made very clear to us that the carers assessment was purely for Dad's needs and nothing to do with Mum's savings.

That sounds like how it should be.

I think it's sleight of hand to assess me and my needs on my mother's savings - I guess I need to make a close reading of the relevant Acts but maybe someone will point me in the right direction.

 

[softcentre22]

And thanks for replies everyone, much appreciated - it's good to know the system works in some places .

I wonder how I can find out the regional variations - phone bashing and website hunting I guess?

We have had some help with my dad but it really did not relate to what he needed. I think mostly assessment is based on the person being cared for and how much care social services deem is necessary . It varies from person to person. Depending on the need they do expect the person being cared for to pay towards care but in some cases it can be funded by social services.

 

[la lucia]

We have had some help with my dad but it really did not relate to what he needed. I think mostly assessment is based on the person being cared for and how much care social services deem is necessary . It varies from person to person. Depending on the need they do expect the person being cared for to pay towards care but in some cases it can be funded by social services.

That's good that you got some help at least, it really seems to be so variable by LA. But a Carers Assessment is for the carer and shifting the financial assessment to the person being cared for is a sleight of hand in my opinion. It's supposed to be in recognition of the stresses and struggles of the carer. Thus, in an ideal world, it should be assessed at least in part if not totally, on the carers finances.

My mum doesn't NEED respite care, I need her to have it to give me an occasional break. I'm just beginning to plough through the Carers Act but it's not the most riveting read

 

[softcentre22]

That's good that you got some help at least, it really seems to be so variable by LA. But a Carers Assessment is for the carer and shifting the financial assessment to the person being cared for is a sleight of hand in my opinion. It's supposed to be in recognition of the stresses and struggles of the carer. Thus, in an ideal world, it should be assessed at least in part if not totally, on the carers finances.

My mum doesn't NEED respite care, I need her to have it to give me an occasional break. I'm just beginning to plough through the Carers Act but it's not the most riveting read

one possiblty would be to let them put your mum in care home,use up her savings then they have to pay everything once her savings drop.You can go and visit regularly.
Then again I am not keen on care homes but others find it suitable.
I would talk to caring bodies in your area who are best to advise you. we are all limited in our knowledge.