CHC reassessment worth it?

[Timeout]

Hi, mum is now 8 years into this vile disease and 3 years into her care home. She is fully self funding but has deteriorated quickly since Christmas. She is now doubly incontinent, prefers to stay in bed and doze all day, is argumentative and aggressive when urged to get up and when has her personal care. She has slapped carers, has fought with other residents etc. She is losing interest in eating and drinking and needs much more one to one care to ensure she is kept hydrated. Everything is a battle with her. She is extremely unsteady on her feet and needs help to get up out of chairs and moving around.

The CH staff did say that the GP is keeping an extra eye on her and that she is due for review. She will be having a visit from the consultant psychiatrist soon as the CH staff think the dementia drugs are no longer working and it may be time to come off them and consider an anti psychotic drug to help with the aggression.

Is it worth revisiting the CHC assessment or is she still unlikely to pass? What are the criteria please?

 

[katek]

Hi Timeout

Sorry to hear about your Mum.

Without knowing when her last CHC assessment was or what she scored, it sounds that nowshe may score highly enough (two 'severes') in Cognition and Behaviour (continence won't count) to qualify. I would certainly say it is worth a try, and you should argue her case on these points, especially if they are impacting on nutrition/hydration. If she also needs to go on anti psychotic drugs, that is surely significant too.

After a period of self funding, my father got CHC on Behaviour and Cognition so it is possible. (He is now sectioned too, for a mixture of resistance to care and aggression.)

I'm not very good at inserting links, but there is a lot of information on CHC on this website, or you could google it. Just remember that in a domain such as 'Behaviour' the wording is quite ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways. The CHC panel are more likely to play down the needs, to avoid paying out if they can! Therefore you need to be well prepared with evidence such as you mention - slapping carers etc.

Go for it and good luck!

 

[Timeout]

An update

Well, visited mum on Tuesday and she is still very much the same to my eyes. Care home staff say that she does get up most days but mysteriously always seems to be in bed in her nightie when I visit. I always visit unnanounced and it seems strange that coincidentally every time I go she's had a day where she's refused to get up!

She has now been given Ebixa on a gradually increasing dose and they are hoping this will calm her down a bit. My concern is that she still isnt eating and drinking much - not helped by the fact that the food is left along side her and unless she constantly prompted to eat she won't see it and it is left. Also, twice now when I have visited her drink is away out of her reach (she wont drink it though again unless she is prompted)

I am now wondering if this care home is meeting her ever increasing needs. She does need someone with her regularly to make sure she eats and drinks but I think as she resists getting up and her first answer is no when food and drink is offered that it and they leave her there.

So, does this mean whe will have to go into a nursing home rather than her EMI residential that she's in? I'm so upset to think that shes being left to fade away when really with help she would probably remain hydrated and fed. On the other hand is it kinder to let her do what will happen naturally and allow her to fade away gradually.
The whole thing breaks my heart whichever way I look at it.

 

[katek]

Well, visited mum on Tuesday and she is still very much the same to my eyes. Care home staff say that she does get up most days but mysteriously always seems to be in bed in her nightie when I visit. I always visit unnanounced and it seems strange that coincidentally every time I go she's had a day where she's refused to get up!

She has now been given Ebixa on a gradually increasing dose and they are hoping this will calm her down a bit. My concern is that she still isnt eating and drinking much - not helped by the fact that the food is left along side her and unless she constantly prompted to eat she won't see it and it is left. Also, twice now when I have visited her drink is away out of her reach (she wont drink it though again unless she is prompted)


I am now wondering if this care home is meeting her ever increasing needs. She does need someone with her regularly to make sure she eats and drinks but I think as she resists getting up and her first answer is no when food and drink is offered that it and they leave her there.

So, does this mean whe will have to go into a nursing home rather than her EMI residential that she's in? I'm so upset to think that shes being left to fade away when really with help she would probably remain hydrated and fed. On the other hand is it kinder to let her do what will happen naturally and allow her to fade away gradually.
The whole thing breaks my heart whichever way I look at it.

Hi Timeout

Sorry to hear of your mum's decline.

It's difficult to know what sort of home would be best at this stage. Perhaps you should go and look at a couple of nursing homes to see if what they offer would be more suitable.

Either way, make sure she gets a CHC assessment, and push for funding if you feel she meets the criteria.