Continuing health car funding from hospital

[ben]

Hello

Like many on here I seem to be thrown in at the deep end as my mother has dementia and does not know who I am when I vist her.

The local hospital would now like to evict her to a nursing home but the care in the hospital is much better and she does not have to pay for it .

I would like to explore getting continuing care paid for by the nhs is there a slow way to go about this while keeping my mom in hospital so even if I fail she will still beneifit ?

If I do not select a care home can I be forced to do it are there any time limits ?

 

[May]

Hi Ben & welcome
I have no experience of what you require, but I'm sure that Nada (moderator) would say to you, ring the Alzheimers Society helpline number and look at the fact sheets on the website. Keep posting and let us know how you get on. Take care

 

[Brucie]

Hi Ben
same thing happened with my wife Jan - they wanted her moved from the hospital assessment ward and told me to find a home [initially].

In Jan's case, her care needs were such that, with the help of my local AS brance, we justified NHS Continuing Care funding and the local PCT then arranged a move to a superb nursing home, where Jan still lives.

The key to the funding is the degree of nursing need, and also the local PCT and its willingness to fit in guidelines that other PCTs may do.

I agree that you should check the Alzheimer's Society Help Line as a first step.

Good luck

P.S. you won't be able to have her stay at the hospital - they are not long term facilities, though ours kept Jan in her ward for 4 months until a place had become available at the home where she now is. They had no alternative. But then Jan's care needs were/are huge

 

[noelphobic]

Hi Ben and welcome to the list. I am sure you will find it very helpful to be here. I would say that you can't keep your mother in hospital indefiintely but I would advise you to take your time finding a home for her and try not to let them push you into it - easier said than done as I know from experience, having twice had to find a home for my mum!

Each SHA (Strategic Health Authority) has its own criteria for continuing care and you should ask the PCT for a copy. Has your mother had an assessment of her needs done and if so what was the outcome? Have they said she needs nursing care or 'just' social care? If she qualifies for nursing care then she will get a payment towards her fees. There are 3 levels which are roughly £40, £80 and £129. If she is classed as needing only social care then everything is means tested. The fact that something is paid for nursing care doesn't help that much as nursing home costs are generally higher than care home costs.

Also, not sure whether this applies in your mother's case but they cannot enforce the sale of her property. They can put a charge on her property which would mean that when it was sold they would be paid the debt that had accrued for your mother's care. When you look at homes ask if the fees are the same for Local Authority funded residents as they are for private residents. If it is the case that it is cheaper for Local Authority residents then you are best getting her on a deferred payment scheme if you can.

I am trying to find the determination and resolve to fight for my mum to go on to continuing care but have other irons in the fire at the moment, mainly the fact that I have made a complaint against her former care home.

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. Also, you will find the factsheets on the site very helpful.

 

[ben]

Thank you for you replys

I will take as much time as possible making the right choice for my mom I am strong enough for psychological challenges ahead !

while wanting the best for my mother she is now the living dead and will never to get better.

It is hard as my parents lived a basic lifestyle never treating themselves while saving hard throughout their lives but not to fund care homes !

ben