Just sharing a little eye-opener I had a few days ago when I took part in a carers' conference in my area.
All in all it was a great experience, I learnt a lot, met some great people and came away feeling that I had been listened to and was much more positive about what resources and help is available (and there really is a lot more than I knew about, so no grumbles there!)
During one of the talks the person in charge mentioned that as soon as the cared for person was assessed as having two areas of specific need (their criteria) then the resources would quickly be available to them through the Council.
On the face of it this sounded reasonable, given the massive cuts in funding local authorities up and down the country have been facing and continue to face.
Anyway, during the networking section I tracked down an occupational therapist to see if I could get some help and advice with making our loo easier for my husband to use (he is starting to find it too low).
The OT was very helpful and showed me a range of things available and which I had already looked at online and been advised about by helpful folk on Talking Point.
Could I arrange for someone to come and look at our tiny loo and suggest what might work best? I asked.
That's where the eye-opener came in.
Did my husband have any other personal hygiene need such as taking a bath?
- No, he doesn't take a bath, he always showers.
Is it a flat based shower?
- No it is over the bath.
Does he have trouble getting into/out of the bath?
- He did, but I had grab rails fitted last year and he is fine now.
Can he stand ok - perhaps he needs a bath board to sit on?
- No, he is steady on his feet and I have a bath board already in anticipation of that day coming.
Would he benefit from steps to get him in and out of the bath?
- In time, yes and I have some ready for when that day comes.
In short, his only need at this time is something to help him get on and off the loo such as grab rails.
And there lies the problem, my husband has one specific need not two (their criteria) so we need to sort it ourselves not through the council.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with financing and sourcing what is needed because as far as I am concerned that is what my husband's PIP is for. However, it does beg the question of quite how this service can be accessed.
As a carer would it really have been responsible of me to let my husband struggle without grab rails in the bathroom for a year, patiently waiting for a second need to present itself in order to access Council services?
Of course not! I, like other carers, identify the need and get it sorted out at the time - we don't sit and wait for multiple needs to surface first before taking action.
So, I am resigned to carrying on as we are, identifying problem areas and taking our own steps to solve them.
I have no anger about it, just surprise at how a system can sound reasonable on the surface - but pretty useless when you actually try to use it
All in all it was a great experience, I learnt a lot, met some great people and came away feeling that I had been listened to and was much more positive about what resources and help is available (and there really is a lot more than I knew about, so no grumbles there!)
During one of the talks the person in charge mentioned that as soon as the cared for person was assessed as having two areas of specific need (their criteria) then the resources would quickly be available to them through the Council.
On the face of it this sounded reasonable, given the massive cuts in funding local authorities up and down the country have been facing and continue to face.
Anyway, during the networking section I tracked down an occupational therapist to see if I could get some help and advice with making our loo easier for my husband to use (he is starting to find it too low).
The OT was very helpful and showed me a range of things available and which I had already looked at online and been advised about by helpful folk on Talking Point.
Could I arrange for someone to come and look at our tiny loo and suggest what might work best? I asked.
That's where the eye-opener came in.
Did my husband have any other personal hygiene need such as taking a bath?
- No, he doesn't take a bath, he always showers.
Is it a flat based shower?
- No it is over the bath.
Does he have trouble getting into/out of the bath?
- He did, but I had grab rails fitted last year and he is fine now.
Can he stand ok - perhaps he needs a bath board to sit on?
- No, he is steady on his feet and I have a bath board already in anticipation of that day coming.
Would he benefit from steps to get him in and out of the bath?
- In time, yes and I have some ready for when that day comes.
In short, his only need at this time is something to help him get on and off the loo such as grab rails.
And there lies the problem, my husband has one specific need not two (their criteria) so we need to sort it ourselves not through the council.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with financing and sourcing what is needed because as far as I am concerned that is what my husband's PIP is for. However, it does beg the question of quite how this service can be accessed.
As a carer would it really have been responsible of me to let my husband struggle without grab rails in the bathroom for a year, patiently waiting for a second need to present itself in order to access Council services?
Of course not! I, like other carers, identify the need and get it sorted out at the time - we don't sit and wait for multiple needs to surface first before taking action.
So, I am resigned to carrying on as we are, identifying problem areas and taking our own steps to solve them.
I have no anger about it, just surprise at how a system can sound reasonable on the surface - but pretty useless when you actually try to use it