How does closing respite beds help anyone?

[sistermillicent]

Mum has been going to a very good nursing home for two weeks out of every seven for the last three years, fully funded, and it has been the only thing that has enabled dad to get enough rest to continue looking after her at home. We have every confidence in the home which has also taken mum in at very short notice when she or dad have been ill.
We have just been told that social services are no longer going to pay the care home to keep their two respite beds. Mum will continue to get respite but we won't know when or where. It will probably be somewhere different every time.
It says on mum's chc agreement or whatever she has, that she can at any time be fully funded for permanent residence in a home, and that is what I think will now have to happen. Dad says he will have her home for weekends.
Can anyone tell me how that saves the SS any money?

 

[Jo1958]

Hi,
I don't think it's about saving money, I think it's about getting rid of responsibility. If the council run the home then they are responsible but if they buy in the service then they are absolving themselves of any responsibility.

I am so sorry that you are facing changes to what has really worked for you all in the past, I hope that whatever comes next works as well although differently. Might the home keep running but with a different owner?
With kind regards from Jo

 

[rajahh]

The first home Gordon went to for respite stopped doing it too. It was not run by council but social services paid for a bed to be available for respite and they stopped doing this so the home could not afford to have a room vacant for many weeks never knowing if anyone was going to use it.

We were self funding but the home said they would need someone to take the room permanently to " balance" their books.

So that was a way that money was saved.

Jeannette

 

[Jessbow]

I cannot find a self funded respite bed where I live, for love nor money!

 

[LYN T]

Well it certainly doesn't help carers.The lack of respite beds will lead to more permanent admissions as carers will no longer be able to cope.

Take care

Lyn T

 

[sistermillicent]

This is not a council run home, it is not their decision, the manager is truly aware of the plight of carers and has been wonderful to my dad. The manager is as upset as anyone that SS will no longer pay for respite beds to be permanently available, and of course the home has to cover its costs.
I have suggested to dad that we get together with other families who are affected and pay for a permanent bed but I think that would be so complicated. The only proper solution I can see is that mum becomes a permanent resident.

Has anyone any suggestions as to how we may be able to stop this madness? We are all writing to the mp and to ss but it seems so futile. I feel as though suggesting to them that we will have to put mum into the home full time is abusing mum in a way, sort of sacrificing her to prove a point. But it isn't faking, I think this could be the death of both my parents.

 

[sistermillicent]

Are there really no suggestions? Am I invisible here?

 

[CeliaW]

Hi sistermillicent - I don't think you are invisible as some have replied but I don't know that any of us have any brilliant suggestions. You could take it to the local press/ MP etc (and see you are already talking to the MP) but most people who are carers don't have the time or energy to be able to do that.

Have you talked to your local Carers Association or local Alz group? It may be that there are others who would join in and add weight to what you are saying or be prepared to do the leg work to campaign against it?

Sorry I can't be of more help - there is a local petition site that I could find you details of if you wanted to try that and see what support you could get? Let me know,

Take care

Celia

 

[CeliaW]

Here are some suggestions about local petitions:

http://uklocalpetition.com/index.html

http://www.petitionyourcouncil.com/

Hope that is helpful (decided to post as am going to be offline shortly and might miss your reply)

Celia

 

[grove]

Oh Sister M , Sorry that you think you are Invisible ! you are not & if I was a real expert * & fully understand your question I would gladly offer my suggestion , instead will offer special T P Vibes , much Love , Support & Hugs to you at this difficult time for you all ( sorry not much help )


Much Love & Hugs


Love Grove x x x

 

[Witzend]

Are there really no suggestions? Am I invisible here?

I would guess that the council is looking at short-term savings, and maybe either deliberately not seeing the bigger picture, or failing to understand the implications.

Not that I am a hardened cynic or anything, but I worked in my little local library for 14 years and during the whole of that time the roof leaked badly every time we had anything like heavy rain. would they ever fix it properly? No, it was one little sticking plaster after the other until it was so bad and potentially dangerous, they had to replace the entire roof.

also,in my exp., if councils want to do something unpopular they will employ consultants on hefty fees to tell them what they want to hear, and then say, well, that was what the consultants came up with.

 

[Grandma Joan]

I cannot find a self funded respite bed where I live, for love nor money!

I am having the same problem. Self funding my father who has Dementia to give my 89 year old mother some respite. No respite beds and no spaces

 

[Fed Up]

I'm sorry you are having such awful problems one thig occurred to me is that in the event of cost savings will the LA still say your mum can go into care. Please be careful as it may be a promise of a care package being put into place to get her home and free up the bed.
Look up the Safe Discharge Policy and don't get caught like me that once she was home, she was forgotten about. Ended up back in hospital and much worse. Do not agree to her coming home unless you want too. Stick to your guns and put in writing your concerns to the LA. Talk to her doctor could he help as a constant change of scene could be very damaging to her as her routine will be disturbed. Approach your Ward Cllr he may be able to help and complain about the lack of consultation as well. I think I'd go to a local paper (you have nothing to loose) and would not enter in any agreement which has financial implications unless you are very sure the other party is reliable as paying for the place full time would be prohibitive round here average cost £900 a week.
My sympathy being a carer is just one problem after another and it gets a bit much that we save the state so much money but do need support and rest. Your poor dad.