DoLS - I'm confused!

[Kevinl]

Does anyone have any idea when I should get the DOLs paperwork? Th assessment was carried out at the end of June and I agreed to be mum's representative in early July, but since then not a peep. I don't want to chase things up if this is usual, but was wondering if something could have got lost in the post.

I've just looked at the paperwork I was sent and the assessment form is dated 28.1.19 and the covering letter is dated 7.6.19 so it took 6 months from the psychiatrist doing the assessment to the paperwork to be sent to me and the care home.
K

 

[canary]

@theunknown - Id like to mention that no one is talking about a DoL order - which is something that has to be ruled by a court. What we are talking about is Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding assessment.

My mum had to move to a secure care home because she would be at risk being outside on her own - she used to get on random buses and end up very distressed at the back of beyond; she would also go walkabout in the wee small hours of the morning, very inadequately dressed, and would bang on random peoples doors because she was lost. She also had no traffic sense and would just step out into the road, whether it was safe or not and was very likely to cause/be injured in a road traffic accident. For these reasons I could not keep mum safe and so she moved to a secure dementia home and was not allowed out unaccompanied, but that didnt mean that she couldnt go out at all. The care home organised weekly outings, which mum went on, and I used to take her out most times I visited.

Because she was not allowed out unaccompanied she had to have an annual assessment to make sure that this was reasonable - the so-called DoLs assessment.

 

[northumbrian_k]

Likewise. My wife had a DoLS assessment when she went to respite because she started talking about walking the 5 miles home, something that was unsafe for her to attempt to do for similar reasons. Now she is in residential care she has had a second assessment. She is not free to go out unaccompanied but we often go out for walks and to the local cafe and she has been out on a farm trip organised by the home as well as going to church with one of the care staff. She doesn't like to be out for long.

 

[Sarasa]

Thanks @Louise7 and @Kevinl, I'll not worry about it unless I haven't heard anything by January! I've got so much going on with sorting out mum's flat sale etc I was worried that I might miss something.
@canary, thanks for explaining the difference between DoL and DoLS, @unknown I'm sorry about your mum and I hope that she is getting the care she needs where she is.
I moved mum to the home just before things got critical. She hadn't got completely lost yet, though there had been some close shaves. It was obvious from going down her High Street with her she wasn't quite certain where places were. She was also going down the local pub and drinking with random men. They all seemed nice fortunately, but it was a big risk as with a bit of flattery she'd have invited them in.

 

[Sarasa]

A quick update. The DoLS team are coming to see mum again on Monday, I'm not quite sure why, but at least this time I know about it and can be there to see what is happening.
Mum has declined a lot since the last assessment so I don't think they'll be saying she can live independently anymore, at least I hope not as there is no way she could live on her own anymore and she has nowhere else to go!

 

[Sarasa]

The social worker came to see mum today. Spent five minutes with her and me and then another ten chatting to me on my own.
The DoLS has been extended for a year, I hadn't realised that the first one was only for six months. Mum really has declined. She managed to say she wasn't that happy in the home mainly as there wasn't anything to do. She's obviously forgetting the activities she's involved in most days. She certainly seems to have forgotten our flash mob dance of two weeks ago. When asked about where she lived she was very vague and then started talking about going up to London to see shows. She did say her main worry was not being able to go and see her parents and could we go today? Managed to deflect that one, I find it lot easier to cope with than demands to go shopping etc.
That's one less worry.

 

[Sirena]

Thank you for letting us know how things went, Sarasa. As you say, now it's been done it's one less worry.

My mother still hasn't had her DoLS!

 

[Bikerbeth]

Yes thank you for the update and one less worry for you.
Did this assessment make it clearer to you how much your Mum had declined or just confirmed what you were already thinking.

 

[Sarasa]

I think it just confirmed what I already thought @Bikerbeth . One tricky thing for me is I’m deaf and mum often speaks very quietly. Therefore sometimes I’m not sure if I’ve understood correctly or not. Hearing her answer someone else’s questions, or rather being unable to answer them really brought home how much she has declined. Six months ago her answers might not have been ‘correct’ but to an outsider they would have seemed credible.

 

[Sirena]

I know what you mean about answers seeming credible even though they are not. My friend's FIL was a past master at that. When he saw his GP he would have long chats which were seemingly coherent and convinced the GP he was absolutely fine. Except everything he said was not true. He once waxed lyrical about his time in Australia - but he'd never been there, he'd probably got the details from something he'd seen on TV. The GP of course did not know that and took it at face value. It's a tricky phase because it may convince professionals they have capacity.