Cost for Respite

[alielbutterfly]

Hi

My mum is in a nursing home for respite (dont thinks she will be coming out as dad has been caring for her for 8 years at it was a crisis situation as she is in latter stages of Alzheimers) and the finance section of the council (Kent) are saying my dad has to pay a top up fee £50 a week and my mum will have to pay full amount from day one of respite £487. My dad thinks this is incorrect as the council should be paying as well? anyone shed any lights mum has savings/investments over the £23500 which have been declared to finance dept.

Many thanks
Leila

 

[nitram]

A temporary stay (up to 12 months) in a care home for respite is treated differently to a permanent placement and as such different LAs have different rules.

With capital savings of over the upper limit I would expect your mum to have to pay the full cost, I don't understand the request for a top up from your dad, neither do I think your dad should pay it.

The only time the respite would be funded would be for reablement which is for a maximum of 6 weeks and is not means tested, however reablement is rarely granted for the later stages of dementia because of it's progressive nature.

 

[leedsfan]

Just be very careful when 'offered' a respite placement. In my experience after 3 years of looking after my Dad, on my own, I asked Dads SW if he could be looked after whilst I went away for a much needed break with my husband. We had not been away for three years and my husband was working full time.

His SW phoned me, chuffed to bits saying she had spoken to her manager and he had said Dad could have a place in a local CH for 4 weeks, we'd asked for maybe 1 week! This was to allow me to have a break and to assess Dad whilst he was in the CH.

As it turned out my Dad hated every minute of it and although I managed to get away for 4 days I had to visit my dad every day as he was so distraught. In the end after assessing him a plan was put into place for him to return to his home with a care package of 4 visits a day by carers. Although the carers only had 15 mins with dad I was so grateful for the help.

OK so far, then BOOM huge bill from LA for full payment of the CH fees and I had to pay £850 top up as Dads pensions didn't cover the full cost. I fought it of course on the basis that at no time was I informed that either dad of I would have to pay anything. I was totally misled and lost the battle with the LA and we had to pay.

The team leader asked me 'who did I think would pay for dads respite'? I know I was naieve and I have learnt the hard way and now God help anyone who tries to pull the wool over my eyes.

Just be aware, I wasn't.