Needs and carer assessments

[Juliet46]

Hello all, I’m new to this site and glad I stumbled upon this post – now I know I’m not the only person with a useless Social Worker. Even reading your posts about day care, memory groups is new to me, I have literally been told of nothing that may be available in my mother’s area (Ipswich, Suffolk). She has had alzheimers for a few years but it was all perfectly manageable. 5 weeks ago she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, rushed to hospital and has been in and out since then. Her alzheimers has quadrupled in effect since her operation and she now cannot dress, eat, go to the loo or even know where she is from one minute to the next. I give her a pill and she doesn’t know she has to put it in her mouth. 5 weeks ago with the exception of not being able to cook or drive, she was living with my father and having as normal a life as possible with advancing alzheimers. When she was in hospital the social worker has said we are ‘owed’ 6 weeks of 4 visits a day when she comes out. Last time they hadn’t ‘had time’ to organise these visits and 2.5 weeks later, we still have no visits. She had to go back in last week and the social worker said she’d have to start the process of organising care again as my mother had been home. It’s infuriating. And we have been told that we don’t qualify for any funding because her alzheimers isn’t bad enough!!! I despair!

 

[Selinacroft]

Having worked on the other side of local government bureaucracy, my way of dealing with the assessments was to prepare my own written assessment of both needs for Dad plus me as a carer and hand it to the Social Worker as a point of reference to take back to the office
Be sure to look at every angle-financial implications, equipment needed, moving and handling, meals, appetite, medication, housework, gardening, help with financial handling, personal care, shopping, making and attending appointments, transport.

Use these as sub heading and then think of some others for your own carer assessment- many will overlap, also Social impact, free time, affect on your health, affect on your career, training you would like to be doing, hobbies you can no longer afford.

If you take control there is less wriggle room for them, be sure to take their name and contact number so you can make a follow up call and let them know it will be coming

 

[BethRebecca]

BethH

I am struggling with this too so feel for you. I am trying to get a financial assessment as we live on my husband's pensions. I am being told he has to go into care home and then they will do finances. They are also saying as he does not have care in the home (because l do everything) he won't get through the panel aaaaaah

 

[Anguscat]

Assessment

I've just had a call for social services to arrange to come and see mum and I on Friday to carry out needs and carer assessments.

Mum is going to hate this as she is a very private person so I'm hoping to minimise the impact! I need this meeting to go well and to make mum accept getting help if I can as I really am at the end of my tether coping with almost no freedom.

Apart from her adamant denial of needing any sort of help mum will not be happy to go into her finances and this will be a major flashpoint in any discussion. As mum would be self funding for quite a while is it necessary to go into details? I'm asking as this could really halt any assessment with mum getting angry and distressed Can it be left at me saying yes mum has savings over £23k and that we are not looking for any funding from a needs assessment.

I have a feeling I've explained myself badly, but I feel really stressed about it. The assessor said if mum refuses my only option is a capacity assessment and then possibly court of protection. I need help quicker than that and need this to go smoothly.

I did not have a financial assessment for my mother as I knew she had more than 23k.
Have you got power of attorney.? This would make dealing with money much easier in the future, if she has capacity to give it to you. My advice is to be honest with social services, which might mean a private discussion of you needs.
Good luck! It's never going to be easy, but I know I had no choice as my mother had no insight into her very severe self neglect.

 

[Fluffyval]

. . 5 weeks ago she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, rushed to hospital and has been in and out since then.
Her alzheimers has quadrupled in effect since her operation and she now cannot dress, eat, go to the loo or even know where she is from one minute to the next.
I give her a pill and she doesn’t know she has to put it in her mouth.
When she was in hospital the social worker has said we are ‘owed’ 6 weeks of 4 visits a day when she comes out. Last time they hadn’t ‘had time’ to organise these visits and 2.5 weeks later, we still have no visits. She had to go back in last week and the social worker said she’d have to start the process of organising care again as my mother had been home. It’s infuriating.
And we have been told that we don’t qualify for any funding because her alzheimers isn’t bad enough!!! I despair!

Don't despair chuck. Please get in touch with the Continuing Healthcare people through either the local authority social worker or your CCG.
Tell them your mum needs a Fasttrack assessment of healthcare needs. This cannot be refused. Get names of people you speak to, telephone numbers, job title and note dates when things are said.
The local authority may be advising you illegally if her condition is beyond their remit, as of April 2015.
If you want more support let me know, it is possible to get help, I do for my husband, he doesn't have cancer though, my heart goes out to you

 

[Fluffyval]

Lavender45, I agree with Anguscat, you need a POA, this will make it much less stressful all round

 

[peterrabbit]

we had an assessment too last week, I had some advice from residents and relatives, a charity, they suggest when I get the report to complain.