Needing help with a couple of things

barbara h

Registered User
Feb 15, 2008
96
0
county durham
Have spent about 3 hours of my day filling forms in to apply to court of protection to be deputy for mam's affairs. Still lots to do as a lot of the information we do not have yet. Mam went into care suddenly about 3 weeks ago due to a sudden decline in her vascular dementia so there is still a lot to sort out. As i haven't got any power of attorney or anything at all i am starting from scratch.

Just wondered how anyone else has found the process ?

Also can anyone tell me when a care plan should be done as i read about this on this forum but nothing has been mentioned to us as yet. We have had no contact from social services since mam's transfer from hospital to the care home apart from her assessment when they decided she would get no help with the cost of care. Is this normal or should we be having regular contact? A couple of weeks ago my sister left four messages in a week for her to ring back but no call came. We have done everything on our own so far.
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
If you're self-funded I wouldn't hold my breath for a call back from social services. It varies by area, but most of them wash their hands of you if you're self-funded. A care plan though - that should be on file at the home. In fact, I believe it's a legal requirement that one should exist so I would check with the manager.
 

Margaret W

Registered User
Apr 28, 2007
3,720
0
North Derbyshire
Dear Barbara

I am learning slowly. If you are self-funded you are not entitled to any input from social services. The Home will draw up a Care Plan, and should do it to the normal standards, but do not need to involve you in it. They are supposed to review it after 6 weeks, and again after 6 months, and are supposed to invite you to that 6-month review. Thereafter it is reviewed every 12 months. BUT if it is a decent home, they will let you see the care plan at any time (I didn't ask, got a bit shirty about it), and if you want to be involved in the 6 week review you can be, and if you have concerns a Social Worker should be available to help. My undertstanding is that you do not have access to a Social worker as of right, but if you have concerns about the care you are getting, they have to respond to any reasonable request. This is all learnt in the last fortnight, after mum has been in the home for nearly 7 months.

Hope this helps, and do get back to us, cos I am in a similar position - awaiting that first six months review (now 7 months on), and have yet not seen the care plan.

To be fair, the Social worker originally assigned to mum before it was known that she was self-funding, has been helpful, and has offered to come with me to the first 6 month review, but this is purely ex-gratia. Things you should look for in the care plan include a risk assessment, is your mam at risk of falls, getting lost, mobility problems, does she need special feeding assistance, help with taking medication. What is in place to solve those issues, e.g. locks, mobility aids, supervision, special feeding equipment. My mum needs none of this, what she needs is company at night, the ability to wander safely between bedroom and lounge, someone to keep an eye on her. As I haven't seen a care plan yet, I don't know for sure, but this week I made a request that my mum sees the chiropodist every 6 weeks, doesn't seem an unreasonable time to get one's toe nails cut, but I was told the chirpodist only sees 6 people every 6 weeks, so it could be 24 weeks between cuttings as staff are not allowed to cut toe nails. So I hope that has gone onto her care plan. Also that she likes a drink of water in the night, the water in her room is not drinking water, so I requested a jug of water. Maybe that has gone into the care plan. The home didn't have a jug!

RE the power of attorney, is this one of the "old style", i.e drawn up more than a year or so ago? In which case, it only gives you power over financial affairs, not personal affairs, e.g. medical affairs. My application got lost for 3 months. They eventually found it, issued an apology but still charged me the £150. If it is one of the new type, I don't have any experience. If you are trying to sort out Mam's money most banks will accept an unregistered POA to do that, but you need to take the original with you, or a copy certified by a solicitor - it is worthwhile getting 2 or 3 of these done at the same time. I even needed to submit a POA to get the gas bill on mum's house directed to my address!

I'd forget the social worker if I were you. You are in the elite class of the self-funders, i.e. on your own apart from the sterling help on this website.

Come back to us with any problems.

Love

Margaret
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
0
SW Scotland
Hi Barbara

Margaret's right about the care plan. The SW does not draw it up, the home does that.

In our case I was involved at every stage. The first few pages were drawn up immediately -- just the essential info. regarding next of kin, POA, meds, etc. The rest was filled in gradually over the next month, as they got to know his needs. It's constantly being reviewed, and I can ask to see it at any time.

You need to talk to the head of your Mam's unit, and stress that you want to be involved. They should welcome your input.
 

barbara h

Registered User
Feb 15, 2008
96
0
county durham
Hi

Thanks for your replies.

Yes we have just about given up on the social worker seems that this seems to happen to quite a number of you when you are self funding. just doesn't seem fair to me.

The care home seems really good and i am sure if we ask to see a care plan they would oblige.

Regarding the power of attorney just wanted to stress that we have nothing at all in place as everything has happened so suddenly. We are having to go through the court of protection and i have to apply to be her deputy to look after her affairs as she will be a guardian of the court. Just wondered if anyone has had any experience of this.

Barbara h xx
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
0
55
Wigan, Lancs
Barbara,

The process for applying to be appointed a deputy has only been in place since October, and I suspect that few people here will have gone through the whole process as I understand that there is a significant backlog, something like 12-16 weeks from the application going in. :(

Once the application goes in it takes 4 weeks (according to the lates information) for them to log it on their system. Keep ringing the Office for the Public Guardian as it not unknown for them to lose applications.
 

Margaret W

Registered User
Apr 28, 2007
3,720
0
North Derbyshire
Barbara, Sue is right, the new style powers of attorney are more difficult to get in place. If you need help from the bank, you might find them accommodating without the formal power of attorney, give them a try, they will tell you what they need, they are not in the market for stopping people using their accounts, you might find them very helpful.

Good luck

Margaret
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
If you need help from the bank, you might find them accommodating without the formal power of attorney, give them a try, they will tell you what they need, they are not in the market for stopping people using their accounts, you might find them very helpful.

Sorry Margaret but at least one person I know of has found that that is exactly the banks position: mention that someone might be losing capacity and suddenly you can find accounts are completely frozen.

I would be very cautious about approaching a bank unless the situation is already irretrievable otherwise you might find yourself in situation where pensions are being paid in, but no direct debits (for example) are going out.
 

barbara h

Registered User
Feb 15, 2008
96
0
county durham
Our solicitor warned us that banks are not at all helpful in these circumstances and when we have had to contact them for anything they have flatly refused to talk to us as we are not the account holder.

What you say about direct debits etc worries me a bit though as at the moment mam's current account is just ticking along with her pension being paid in and her direct debits going out. We were hoping this could continue as it is paying the bills on her house to keep it going until it eventually gets sold.

Barbara
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
I think as long as you don't bring it to the bank's attention you'll be all right until you get the paperwork done. I just wanted to warn you (as your solicitor already has done) that wandering into a bank and telling them that one of their account holders has dementia might result in more rather than less problems.
 

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