day center / also technical assistant

[Margarita]

I went to a meeting to day about Day-center for the elderly , head of SS & PCT organized it they wanted are view in how useful they are for now and in the future for elderly people , to help them stay at home

also we where put in groups ask question about what help was needed in keeping the elderly at home , if they had falls rather then going into care home, what we feel they would need .

all people representing days center for the elderly was they also some of the people that attend them ,

In are area they have extra money to invest in the elderly & keeping them at home



I was given this link , from a man that work at a hospital day center assessment & they pay for it .its all about the technical assistant that is on offer for people with dementia or not to stay at home

http://www.tunstall.co.uk/

This link is the UK dementia technical assistant.

http://www.tunstall.co.uk/home.aspx

If you need
technical assistant social worker can do referral organize it all for you, So never forget if you don't ask you don't get . The services are they you just have to push ask SS to give it to you




Main worry I read on TP is about the gas read this

http://www.tunstall.co.uk/products.aspx?PageID=143

 

[Natashalou]

thanks Margarita. Something like this would have been great for my mum about a year ago. I hope things like this might soon be offered as part of a care package.
Where I live anyone can get a care alarm at a nominal cost, but its nothing like in this class!

 

[Margarita]

That what they where talking about care package, you can get an intensive care package that includes the above .

That what I was saying that why was I never told about all that , even day-centers until I felt I could not cope , I was told that my social worker should of told me .

Thats why they organize this meeting to bring more awareness to what is available, what the elderly need to stay at home for now & in the future .

 

[Taffy]

Wise Words.

So never forget if you don't ask you don't get

Hello Margarita, How true these words are, when my mum was diagnosed with alz I was handed a script for medication I can't remember which one (seven years back) mum tried the drug but it didn't agree with her, nothing else was offered except advise, which was to put mum away in a care facility. I didn't know anything really about dementia or services existed I just though it was something that older people usually over the age of 70 got ( my ignorance ).Late late year I got a computer and started researching dementia which lead me to this site, it sure is a great network of support and personally, don't know of any like it in Australia. Support from the likes of yourself make this a great forum. Regards Taffy.

 

[cris]

Thanks for that info Maggie. I was wondering about an "exit" monitor some time ago. One is listed on the tunstall site. But now I have a ridgid disipline of dead-locking the front door and bolting/locking the back gate. But there is some useful info to had.
cris

 

[Natashalou]

es, I realised that but I was meaning I hoped it would be funded as part of a care package I bet its pricey and I bet it isnt!!

POSSIBLY my mum could have carried on at home a bit longer with something like that to monitor her falls more than wandering. Howver when she was in hospital it was a flat "she is too bad for rehab coz she wont remember anytihng she is told and she is too frail for a care package, because the maximum is 4 times a day for 20 minutes"
I lived too far away to be of any practical help. I tried to get SS to asess her this end, more to show her she was now too frail to live on her own but all they did was ring the home and speak to the manager..who confirmed, rightly, that she needs to stay there, but now mum thinks I did nothing about it, as she believes there is masses of help available and Im stopping her getting it.
Rather amusingly a lot of this belief is because she thinks I want to "get her money" . Little does she know of the £800 per week fee. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue not to tell her!

 

[Margarita]

When I was at that group meeting , they was an elderly lady that looks after her husband who has AZ .

The group leader on are table , said something to us can't remember what but I remember her answer was , that her husband is at a stage that if she was not with him 24 hours a day he could not live alone .

She hit the nail right on the head when it come to keeping someone home without supervision 24 hours when they have AZ & get to the stage of wondering leaving tap on in bath room , technical assistant would be great for her , as she was telling me how her husbands , during the day or if he wakes up before her . will go to bathroom and run the bath . Flood all the house , so she had to put a towel chain around taps .

So really if we our really being really realistic Natashalou, no matter how much technical assistant they is , someone with AZ like your mother or Mine can not be left alone to live by themselves , when they get to the stage they are at now.

As if you really think about it , SS they not going to fund the night supervision , yes they found the technical assistant , if you come under not self funding

Sometimes I have to bite my tongue not to tell her!

tell her if it make you feel better , but I bet she forget & till think the same & I am not being disrespectful when I say that , just being logic and realistic.

So , technical assistant is for husband wife , or a daughter or son , that is contemplating to bring or live with a parent who has dementia /AZ.


That lady told me that she was told to get someone in to sit with her husband on the days he does not go to AZ day-center is £12 hour , I can only imagine how much night supervision is to bring in a carer .

as sometime she needed to go to appointments , so needed to have someone she could just ring up to sit with her husband .



She did not want to get someone from an agency , because she said that £12 does not go to the carer , half of it go to the agency , but she would still not mind paying £12

I said yes but at lest with the agency you know that they have experience with people with AZ ( I hope anyway )


I was looking up on volunteer work , on a web site, I saw that the AZ association in Battersea offer something call " befriended a person with dementia " to visit them take them out .

Going to bring it up at are local AZ group see if we could set something up like that, but someone that would also sit with the person who has AZ , while the carer go to an appointment as we do not have anything like that in our area . Just an Idea

 

[May Smith]

Direct Payments Scheme

I thought I would mention that I a few items to support me as a carer paid for by the Direct Payments Scheme. They bought a tracker for my wandering Dad from these people:

www.bluetreeservices.co.uk

You need to get the support of your community nurse and I think they need to get some sort of clearance but it was no hassle and I would not be without the tracker, it is a serious help!

[Edited by Brucie:

There may be other products in the market that have similar function. One of the places you might look is www.atdementia.org.uk ]

 

[Margarita]

That tracker seem really good idea .