Help with care/nursing home costs?

nich

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
5
0
My step father has vascular dementia, and was admitted to hospital last night complaining of pain in his wrist. They have diagnosed possible hairline fractures and put it in a cast. He is still on the Medical Assessment Unit 24hrs later and the doctors have told my mum that it is clear that he needs full time care. They have already been assessed some weeks back and as I understand they would take all of his state pension and half of his personal pension. Although my mum works part time as well as being his carer as the disease has drastically progressed, unless she can get extra hours at work (overtime, obviously not guaranteed), she cannot afford to get him in to full time care. Until yesterday, at least he could help himself to a degree, but the wrist problem left him chair bound and my mum can't move him by herself. Obviously she can't sell the house to pay for his care as she needs a roof over her head (besides which they only moved 6 months ago to downsize!).

Does anyone know if these assessments and there findings/decision are final, or is there some way of appealing? If he is discharged from hospital, is he entitled to go in to rehabilitation if he is unable to move around by himself?

I hope that there are people reading this that have experienced similar situations as I would be so grateful for any advice.

Thank you.

Nic
 

88alli

Registered User
Jan 11, 2007
42
0
Cumbria.England
Payment for care...

Hi Nic.
I can only offer advice through our own personal experiences.
Have your in-laws got a Social worker? Our Social worker and CPN have been absolutely wonderful in advising us, helping us with MIL's AZ.
As far as assessments go, we make sure we are there when MIL is being assessed. At the last one without the CPN and Social workers input as well as ours MIL would have been place in totally the incorrect category. I really don't understand the mentality of the people in charge of these so called 'assessments', to us they just seem a complete racket. I would certainly advise a family member being present.
Surely to goodness there is no way your poor MIL would have to suffer to fund her husbands care? What is wrong with this country regarding dementia!!!!!
I hope you get the help and advice you need and have a Social worker and CPN as caring as ours.
Take care,
Love Diane and Richard x
 

nich

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
5
0
Richard & Diane,

Thank you both for the quick response. I've just been doing some research online and it would appear that the assessment is in accordance with the rules! However, I think mum said today that they are going to do another assessment, although I now realise that the financial assessment and the needs assessment are different things, and I imagine that it will be the needs assessment that is done again, to confirm that my step dad does indeed need to go into care. Still, I will make sure I'm with them when it's done - I just wanted to be be sure of their rights beforehand.

Thanks again for your advice.

Nic x
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
As you have found, what your mother has been told does conform with the guidelines. However, she does have a right to appeal, and the local authority may make an accomodation. The most usual reason that this is done is when it is clear that the household expenses are simply too great for the spouse that remains at home to manage (and also, I think, when people have already "down sized", although that's not supposed to be a consideration). Absolutely you have a right to appeal re the financial arrangements. The bible for this is CRAG (charging for residential accomodation guidelines) http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publication...tions/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073650.

You (or rather your mother) will have to be quite pushy about this since they're not going to offer more than the basics until you push the issue.

Edited to add - somewhere on the financial assessment should be information about how to appeal. If not check the LA's website.
 
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nich

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
5
0
Thank you so much for you response Jennifer, it's nice to find support so easily. I will follow the link now and carry on with my research.

Thanks again.

Nic
 

rhallacroz

Registered User
Sep 24, 2007
106
0
merseyside
Hi Nic

Hi There
Is there anyway you can cope with your stepfather at home with a care package. I always think that when relatives talk about home care the establishment always jump and try to facillitate things. In my experience it is much better. After all the writsts are going to get better and perhaps you and your mum need to explore your options better. I truly believe that things are always better for these people at home. Also they wont be able to take his pension if he stays at home. However if they have savings they might not be entitle to home care. Although he should get fully funded intermediate care for a period of time to recover. Does he go to daycare. Talk to the AZ Society asap.
Regards
 

Tender Face

Account Closed
Mar 14, 2006
5,379
0
NW England
Hi nich, so sorry to hear what you and the family are going through. I'm very new to 'funding' issues ... never expecting this to happen to my mum so quickly ... all I can say/ask is who did the assessment?

My mother was assessed by her hospital as not even needng nursing care :eek: (she has LBD and terminal cancer) ...... which I knew was ridiculous - so I by-passed social worker and went to PCT who sent someone else to 'assess' her in hospital and agreed immediately to at least Nursing Care contribution .......with another assessment to follow in a few weeks .....

Sorry - I feel like I'm wading through fog myself at the minute ....and not sure quite how many assessments are needed by whom or for what ..... but just to encourage you not to take the first answer as 'read' ....

Love, Karen, x
 

nich

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
5
0
Thank you for your advice Karen. I will print everyone's responses for my Mum to read as you all certainly do offer encouragement. I hope everything works out for you too.

Nic x
 

May

Registered User
Oct 15, 2005
627
0
Yorkshire
Hi Nic welcome to TP. Please call either your local Alzheimers society or the national helpline (number on the website) for advice. My Mum went in to care last year, and there was no question of Mum and Dad's house being sold to pay care fees, Dad needs to live too!:eek:. Rules tend to differ between areas (the old postcode lottery)but in our case, Mum's savings were below the level (about 21 thousand now I believe) for taking in to account when paying fees, the house does not come in to play because my Dad still lives there,she loses her pension apart from #20 perweek allowed by rulings for 'spending money'. One other thing you could do is ask for DWP to do pension assessments for Mum and Stepdad, we found them incredibly helpful.

take care come back and let us know how things are going.
 

nich

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
5
0
Thanks May for you reply. I think it's a load off my Mum's mind that she won't lose her house as she has been worrying about that. She has so much on her mind, so it seems like a blessing in disguise that her husband had to go in to hospital because of his wrist hurting, as it's giving her un-interrupted time to make calls and go through paperwork (when I'm not calling her!). I just hope they can get him transferred to our local 'cottage' hospital to convalesce until a place can be found for him as I think although she has coped admirally until now, she would reach breaking point if he had to come back home.

Everyone on here has been so kind, so I'll be sure to come back and update as and when.

Thanks again.

Nic
 

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