Hi
My mother was diagnosed with 2 types of dementia 18 months ago. We can not believe how quickly this horrible illness has declined in recent months. She lives on her own but we visit every day to make sure she has eaten, washed, dressed etc (we all work full time) but she is left for long periods on her own. She has flatly refused to have carers going in to help her. It is now at the stage where she does not recognise her own home and keeps packing her suitcase and walking the streets looking for her house. She keeps losing her front door keys and phones me at all times of the day and night (more often at night) to tell me she's been locked in some ones house for days, with out food or water - she is and really upset and confused. I have to leave work / home / bed and drive straight over and console her.
Neighbours have found her wandering the streets, lost and confused. They take her back home and call me - again I drive straight over to make sure she is OK.
As you can imagine, this is taking it's toll on me and, although work has been very understanding, I have lost so much time recently.
We have made the heart breaking decision that Mom can no longer cope on her own - we are unable to give her the 24 hour care she now needs, so we are now looking for a residential home for her.
Mom has no assets (she lives in a council house) and no savings.
She has been assessed by Social Services and funding has been agreed BUT ... She has been allocated just £405.00 per week (which includes her Pension). Every care home I look at costs far more than this. Although we all work, none of us has any expendable income to top up any fees. it's so frustrating - Mom has worked all her life (some times running 3 jobs to make ends meet) and has never claimed any benefits.
What do we do now ? How do we find a good care home with in our price range and local so we can still visit every day ?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated x
My mother was diagnosed with 2 types of dementia 18 months ago. We can not believe how quickly this horrible illness has declined in recent months. She lives on her own but we visit every day to make sure she has eaten, washed, dressed etc (we all work full time) but she is left for long periods on her own. She has flatly refused to have carers going in to help her. It is now at the stage where she does not recognise her own home and keeps packing her suitcase and walking the streets looking for her house. She keeps losing her front door keys and phones me at all times of the day and night (more often at night) to tell me she's been locked in some ones house for days, with out food or water - she is and really upset and confused. I have to leave work / home / bed and drive straight over and console her.
Neighbours have found her wandering the streets, lost and confused. They take her back home and call me - again I drive straight over to make sure she is OK.
As you can imagine, this is taking it's toll on me and, although work has been very understanding, I have lost so much time recently.
We have made the heart breaking decision that Mom can no longer cope on her own - we are unable to give her the 24 hour care she now needs, so we are now looking for a residential home for her.
Mom has no assets (she lives in a council house) and no savings.
She has been assessed by Social Services and funding has been agreed BUT ... She has been allocated just £405.00 per week (which includes her Pension). Every care home I look at costs far more than this. Although we all work, none of us has any expendable income to top up any fees. it's so frustrating - Mom has worked all her life (some times running 3 jobs to make ends meet) and has never claimed any benefits.
What do we do now ? How do we find a good care home with in our price range and local so we can still visit every day ?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated x