Assessing when care home needed

[AHazelB]

My mother aged 88 was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017. She has a few other problems including pulmonary fibrosis and she has an indwelling catheter. She is now living downstairs at home on her own and has carers 4 times a day. She has had a couple of recent stays in hospital, one a UTI and the other a chest infection. She has seemed very confused after her latest stay but that has improved a bit. She had a little fall in the garden and cut her hand this week but all dealt with by her carers and District nurse.
One of my brothers thinks she should move to a care home now. The rest of us are not so sure. The care company we use are just fantastic and she knows them all.
We are not medically qualified to assess Mum's needs but there seems no way 8n her locality of getting an assessment of her needs now and the best way to meet them.. She had a rather perfunctory one conducted by Social Services over the telephone in early 2018 after we requested it.
How have others made the assessment of when a care home is needed?
None of us live near her to make things more complex.

 

[karaokePete]

Hello and welcome @AHazelB.

I don't have experience of the situation, however, in the hope that it helps I've put a link to the relevant Society Fact sheet. Click the PDF line for an easy read or to print the document

Care homes - when is the right time and who decides? (476)
PDF printable version

 

[nellbelles]

Hello @AHazelB and welcome to DTP
My husband went into respite care when I was ill and ending up staying, he was blind as well as having Alzheimer’s and keeping him safe was the problem..
I would think that is the PWD safe in their own home is a good indication of what way to go..
it might be worth asking for a SS needs assessment provided you can actually get one at this time..
would she be self funding if so you could start looking for a suitable CH for when needed.
i hope n

 

[FiveStars]

My wife has Dementia and I am her full time carer. I have got to know the Nurse from the Memory Team and the Social Worker who have been understanding and always helpful. My wife has a Care Plan in place that has been ammended as her needs have become greater. We have a carer for a 4hrs block every day with 2 companies sharing the work. This time allows me to catch up with myself, mostly sleeping recently as the start of our day is around 2.30am. We had hoped to have had our first Respite in April but that didn't happen and we are now in the situation where it is needed to give my wife a break from me and for me to regain my drive. So, Monday morning my wife is going into Respite for 14 days when she will have a Checklist Assessment and a Capacity Test to help determine her needs and our future, because we are at a crossroads. Do we plough on as before and hope the next Respite is not too far away or is it the right time now for full time care. I don't know.
The wonderful and caring Care Workers who visit have offered me lots of advice to help with the decision process and I have listened to my sisters and g/daughters. I will hear what the Social Worker and Memory Team Nurse have to say after the assessments and then sort and sift all the information, but at the end of the day it will be my heart that decides if I can be parted from my Love of 50 + years.

 

[canary]

Hello @FiveStars and welcome to DTP
Making the decision for permanent residential care is always fraught with guilt as it is such a huge milestone along the dementia journey. Sometimes, though, you have to listen to your head and let your heart catch up later.