Needs nursing care - is it worth applying for CHC?

[looviloo]

Dad has an appointed SW due to me contacting Social Services back at the end of January as I was worried about him as he was burning his leg very badly on his electric fire but he did not understand that it was the fire that was doing it, he also kept saying it was OK when it clearly wasn't. When we met we agreed that dad could no longer live at home and he would have to move into a care home, he would be self funding.

She provided me with information on all EMI care homes within the LA and I went to view a few and decided on one which was closest to my dads home, they came out did an assessment and agreed to take him. I contacted the SW and she provided the care home with dads care plan etc and when a room became available we agreed a moving in date of the 12 April. The SW kept in touch with me and the care home throughout this time.

Within a week of dad being in that care home he had been reported to safe guarding twice and had broken several window locks, an emergency door and escaped for 3 hours. The care home contacted me and said they could not cope with dad and he would have to be removed. They also advised the SW. We then had a meeting the SW, the care home mgr and I and we agreed until we could move dad the mental health team would come in and do an assessment, and a nurse would be provided to give dad 121 care for 8 hours a day. It was at this point that the SW mentioned the CHC funding as a possible option as dad would require a care home that had a dedicated Dementia unit and could provide nursing care (for the meds that had been prescribed him), she provided again a list of homes for me to look at.

It took almost 4 weeks for me to find a suitable care home with a Dementia+ unit that could take dad. I had to have a Best Interests meeting with the SW and a report was written with the options considered and why dad had to be moved etc. It was at this meeting that the SW agreed that this move to the new care home would initially be termed as 'respite care' for dad at the home and they would pay for the Nursing element for 4 weeks at which point they would then do the CHC Initial assessment, which would give dad enough time to settle into the new care home and for the home to record all evidence of dads behaviour etc against the ABC charts. She even got the care home to only charge my dad the LA funded rate and not the private self funded rate.

Dad moved in to this Dementia+ unit on the 9th May. To be honest it was then that the care home spurred me on to make sure the assessment was done as they felt dad should qualify based on the fact all the other residents get it and he was no different from them.

The CHC Initial assessment was actually done on the 13th June by the SW and he scored enough A's & B's to be referred and she agreed to continue funding the nursing element for another 4 weeks. She advised that once she submitted the paperwork which would be the next day, the CHC Assessment team have 28 days to visit, do their assessment and make a decision. This assessment was done on the 26th June (They rate against: Priority, Severe, High, Moderate, Low and No Needs) and they said as he scored High in Cognition and Communication which is the highest it can be and Severe in Behaviour (Priority is the highest for that) he was eligible and it would go to panel this Monday and that is were we are now.

So technically I could say it only really took a couple of months to get to this point. So if you haven't already got a SW, I would suggest getting one, my dads has been fabulous and so helpful and supportive.

The communication bit is tough. My dad has had a problem with communication now for almost 2 years, it has been very hard to have a conversation with him, especially as the cognition isn't there either, I've found myself having very strange and random talks with him in the past, mostly about the past and confabulated stories. It was easier though when I took care of him at home as we could talk about more day to day things and I could anticipate and work out what he was trying to tell me, but now that he is in the home, the conversation as totally dried up and I can't talk about certain things like his home just in case it triggers him trying to escape again. It just gets harder and harder so my sympathies to you to.

Elle, thanks for your reply, I appreciate reading the process you went through. I was thinking that my first step would be to contact social services again and you confirmed it. Dad did have a social worker (several in fact, a whole series of them...) but when he moved permanently into a care home and since he was self-funding they lost interest. To be fair, we probably didn't need them. This was 3 years ago. But with a care home move on the horizon I e-mailed adult social care today, explained the situation and my request for a CHC/FNC assessment, and swiftly received a short reply saying I was talking to the wrong department. They gave me a telephone number. I'll ring it tomorrow (wish me luck!).

I'm interested to know that your care worker liaised with you and the care home during the whole process? Again, that didn't happen for us the first time round... we were left to our own devices after the initial transfer from hospital to intermediate care. I need more help this time so might have to push a bit harder. I'm also finding the different kinds of homes confusing. It sounds like your social worker was fully involved and very helpful - I hope I can find someone like that, but my experience so far has not been too good!

So after reading the rest of your experience, I'm wondering whether dad should move first, or if the assessment should be done in his current care home? Perhaps it won't matter either way. Knowing that it took you a couple of months to arrange and have the assessments done more or less agrees with the time frame I had in my head. But I bet it varies from area to area! And you can bet we live in one of the slowest haha!

Thanks also for your comments about communication. It's so tough. The thing I miss most is being able to make dad laugh. Even when his speech and cognition was deteriorating he would still laugh at my silly jokes, but that rarely happens these days. Like you, our conversations are sparse and random. They mostly revolve around weather, time of day (lunch etc), and the 2 or 3 people he still knows the name of (although I'm not certain he really knows who they are anymore). Sometimes we just sit and stare at the TV, or he drifts off and snoozes. I expect it's probably similar for you.

Thanks again x

 

[Kevinl]

When I enquired at several nursing home the story seemed to be our rate is (let's say) £1,000pw, if you get FNC (£155pw) then you'll only have to pay £845 but if you don't you'll have to pay £1k.
Either way the home get's their £1k pw they don't mind where it comes from, so had my wife not got FNC I'd have to pay the whole amount in a nursing home as the "panel" were effectively saying she didn't need nursing care just social care.
If the residents in the home didn't get FNC then the NHS would be sending a district nurse in every 5 minutes as there are residents with all kinds of conditions like; insulin dependent diabetics, leg ulcers, prm medication, catheters, peg feeding and just medications in general...none of which come under the scope of a normal care home.
I remarked to one of the staff that there was an ambulance outside with its blue lights on, she said it's the third one today (across the 3 units there are nearly 90 people), turns out it wasn't the last that day, just after I left my wife had a fall and ended up in A&E too.
FNC saves the NHS a fortune as having a qualified person there 24/7 means that when the NHS do have to become involved it's for a good reason, carers in a care home have to err on the side of caution as they usually have no formal medical qualifications.
K

 

[looviloo]

When I enquired at several nursing home the story seemed to be our rate is (let's say) £1,000pw, if you get FNC (£155pw) then you'll only have to pay £845 but if you don't you'll have to pay £1k.
Either way the home get's their £1k pw they don't mind where it comes from, so had my wife not got FNC I'd have to pay the whole amount in a nursing home as the "panel" were effectively saying she didn't need nursing care just social care.
If the residents in the home didn't get FNC then the NHS would be sending a district nurse in every 5 minutes as there are residents with all kinds of conditions like; insulin dependent diabetics, leg ulcers, prm medication, catheters, peg feeding and just medications in general...none of which come under the scope of a normal care home.
I remarked to one of the staff that there was an ambulance outside with its blue lights on, she said it's the third one today (across the 3 units there are nearly 90 people), turns out it wasn't the last that day, just after I left my wife had a fall and ended up in A&E too.
FNC saves the NHS a fortune as having a qualified person there 24/7 means that when the NHS do have to become involved it's for a good reason, carers in a care home have to err on the side of caution as they usually have no formal medical qualifications.
K

Thank Kevin, I'll be sure to ask about FNC when we discuss fees with nursing homes. And you're right of course about the savings made to the NHS by having a registered nurse at the home. It's one of the things driving the move for my dad, from residential to nursing care, since he's starting to need more appointments and A&E visits that could possibly be avoided.

Another possibly useful piece of information, from the Care To Be Different website this time:
If you’re paying for your own care, and your fees are calculated to include all nursing care, your care fees should reduce once the NHS starts paying FNC. However, many people see no difference at all, even though the care home is obliged to show how FNC reduces the care fees. It’s always worth questioning this with the care home and, if necessary, with the Continuing Care Department at your local NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – formerly the Primary Care Trust (PCT).

 

[love.dad.but..]

I hope others have success if they have to question this with their NH...I felt at the time and subsequent discussions that I was not being given the correct account but I have put it down to experience. If there is a next time ...which I hope there isn't...with more knowledge and experience now I would refer it further. But this thread will definitely help others.

 

[Elle3]

Elle, thanks for your reply, I appreciate reading the process you went through. I was thinking that my first step would be to contact social services again and you confirmed it. Dad did have a social worker (several in fact, a whole series of them...) but when he moved permanently into a care home and since he was self-funding they lost interest. To be fair, we probably didn't need them. This was 3 years ago. But with a care home move on the horizon I e-mailed adult social care today, explained the situation and my request for a CHC/FNC assessment, and swiftly received a short reply saying I was talking to the wrong department. They gave me a telephone number. I'll ring it tomorrow (wish me luck!).

I'm interested to know that your care worker liaised with you and the care home during the whole process? Again, that didn't happen for us the first time round... we were left to our own devices after the initial transfer from hospital to intermediate care. I need more help this time so might have to push a bit harder. I'm also finding the different kinds of homes confusing. It sounds like your social worker was fully involved and very helpful - I hope I can find someone like that, but my experience so far has not been too good!

So after reading the rest of your experience, I'm wondering whether dad should move first, or if the assessment should be done in his current care home? Perhaps it won't matter either way. Knowing that it took you a couple of months to arrange and have the assessments done more or less agrees with the time frame I had in my head. But I bet it varies from area to area! And you can bet we live in one of the slowest haha!

Thanks also for your comments about communication. It's so tough. The thing I miss most is being able to make dad laugh. Even when his speech and cognition was deteriorating he would still laugh at my silly jokes, but that rarely happens these days. Like you, our conversations are sparse and random. They mostly revolve around weather, time of day (lunch etc), and the 2 or 3 people he still knows the name of (although I'm not certain he really knows who they are anymore). Sometimes we just sit and stare at the TV, or he drifts off and snoozes. I expect it's probably similar for you.

Thanks again x

Yes I think we have been very lucky with our SW, she is a Senior SW with the Later Life team, so she has lots of experience as well as personal experience of dealing with Dementia which has really helped.

I'm thinking it might be better to do the assessment once he has moved and settled in, that was the advice the SW gave me. I wasn't so sure at first but I can see why now.

Your conversations with your dad sound so much like mine and a lot of the time my dad snoozes too. lol.

If you need any help or support just shout anytime.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Elle x

 

[MaNaAk]

I know this topic has been talked about a lot, and I've looked through various threads but hope you don't mind me posting about what's happening with my dad. He's living in an excellent residential care home but his condition has deteriorated a lot - can hardly communicate any more, very poor mobility etc. He's 89. The care home manager thinks he'll be wheel chair bound very shortly, and his increasingly odd behaviour means he's needing almost constant supervision. It's so sad :-(.

Yesterday he was taken to A&E for various reasons, underwent a CT scan, ECG, blood tests and more and they found nothing medically wrong. Just the dementia. They said his heart is strong and healthy (he had major heart surgery 15 years ago), and at 89 could live with this condition 'for quite some time'.

It has reached the point where the care home can no longer meet his needs. The manager suggests we look for a more suitable place - a nursing home and/or dementia care specialists. I have a place in mind that I'll explore... but my question is, should we apply for CHC? Is this the right time? And where would be the best place to start? He hasn't been assessed for CHC before and is self-funding, but I'm concerned that the high costs of specialist care plus dad's potential to possibly outlive me (not a joke!) means his personal funds will run out.

The move isn't urgent, the home can manage him for another 2 or 3 months, but if he keeps deteriorating at the same rate then it could be sooner.

On a slightly different note, and this will probably sound selfish and whiny but I'm sure I can't be the only one... I'm SO tired. Weary. Managing dad's life is stealing a lot of well-being from my own life. I can't turn away from him though because the bonds are too strong, but this has been going on for 15 years now, and I'm in my mid 50s with serious health problems of my own. Yesterday was stressful, and he has another appointment coming up soon (with an eye specialist - we think he stuck the arm of his glasses in his eye and damaged the eyeball - we don't even know if he can see through that eye because he can't really tell us). I don't know how long I can keep dealing with this.

Sorry for the long post but I have to tell you this. The reason for the visit to A&E (among other things) was that carers check on dad regularly in the night, and on one visit found him UNDER the bed! Completely under it, with just his feet sticking out! How he got there is anyone's guess because he can hardly walk these days. It's a worry because he's on warfarin, and he's getting covered in bruises. The home is reluctant to use bed rails (due to regulations?). I think they think he's becoming a danger to himself now.

Dear Looviloo,

I could be in a similar position. We had a care home in mind in which dad has enjoyed recent respite in and I have another period of respite booked however I am having to extend this to look for a home that is run by the local authority. The reason for this is because the fee will be £650 and it seems that dad has to pay £500 so I will have to pay another £150 a week. We will be havng some assessments but we will need to bear in mind that dad had a recent diabetic hypo so they may suggest nursing a nursing home. I don't know much more than you do about these things but I understand you need assessments so it might be an idea if you can contact dementia friends who can put you in contact with your local coordinator. I will be looking at homes that can offer nursing care as well as an ordinary care home where dad can pay the full price and that he will love.

MaNaAk

 

[looviloo]

Dear Looviloo,

I could be in a similar position. We had a care home in mind in which dad has enjoyed recent respite in and I have another period of respite booked however I am having to extend this to look for a home that is run by the local authority. The reason for this is because the fee will be £650 and it seems that dad has to pay £500 so I will have to pay another £150 a week. We will be havng some assessments but we will need to bear in mind that dad had a recent diabetic hypo so they may suggest nursing a nursing home. I don't know much more than you do about these things but I understand you need assessments so it might be an idea if you can contact dementia friends who can put you in contact with your local coordinator. I will be looking at homes that can offer nursing care as well as an ordinary care home where dad can pay the full price and that he will love.

MaNaAk

If I I understand correctly, the authority will pay up to £500/wk and you will be liable for anything over that? If you are working with the local authority already than presumably they will assess your dad as part of the process. My problem at the moment is having the local authority interested enough to do any assessments, because dad is self-funding for now.

At the moment my dad is paying for his care in full and (for comparison) it is £700/wk in a residential home - this is lower than average for the area and is a lovely, cosy kind of home. I read that nursing/dementia care can raise the weekly cost by about 25% though I think that's probably a conservative estimate and depends a lot on the home itself and the area it's in. I know that 3 years ago when we explored options our nearest dementia care home was £1000/wk for the lowest level of care (the price increases as the level of needs increases). It's such a worry.

I'm really not sure about 'top up fees', though if dad's money runs out then it's something we'll potentially face. Are they compulsary? I thought homes/authorities couldn't enforce this? It was in the news a while back but I didn't pay enough attention because my head was spinning at the time! I hope it all works out ok for you .

 

[MaNaAk]

If I I understand correctly, the authority will pay up to £500/wk and you will be liable for anything over that? If you are working with the local authority already than presumably they will assess your dad as part of the process. My problem at the moment is having the local authority interested enough to do any assessments, because dad is self-funding for now.

At the moment my dad is paying for his care in full and (for comparison) it is £700/wk in a residential home - this is lower than average for the area and is a lovely, cosy kind of home. I read that nursing/dementia care can raise the weekly cost by about 25% though I think that's probably a conservative estimate and depends a lot on the home itself and the area it's in. I know that 3 years ago when we explored options our nearest dementia care home was £1000/wk for the lowest level of care (the price increases as the level of needs increases). It's such a worry.

I'm really not sure about 'top up fees', though if dad's money runs out then it's something we'll potentially face. Are they compulsary? I thought homes/authorities couldn't enforce this? It was in the news a while back but I didn't pay enough attention because my head was spinning at the time! I hope it all works out ok for you .

Dear Looviloo,

Yes! I think we're both in exactly the same situation but given that I have been struggling to get dad to eat properly since he got out of hospital I am going to phone the care home tomorrow to get the next lot of respite as early as possible and when he goes back in I am going to look at homes which are funded by the local authority unless he makes himself so ill he requires a nursing home if he survives that long. I just think to myself that we are all trying our best for our loved ones and that's all we can do.

Thinking of you

MaNaAk

 

[Elle3]

Elle, thanks for your reply, I appreciate reading the process you went through. I was thinking that my first step would be to contact social services again and you confirmed it. Dad did have a social worker (several in fact, a whole series of them...) but when he moved permanently into a care home and since he was self-funding they lost interest. To be fair, we probably didn't need them. This was 3 years ago. But with a care home move on the horizon I e-mailed adult social care today, explained the situation and my request for a CHC/FNC assessment, and swiftly received a short reply saying I was talking to the wrong department. They gave me a telephone number. I'll ring it tomorrow (wish me luck!).

I'm interested to know that your care worker liaised with you and the care home during the whole process? Again, that didn't happen for us the first time round... we were left to our own devices after the initial transfer from hospital to intermediate care. I need more help this time so might have to push a bit harder. I'm also finding the different kinds of homes confusing. It sounds like your social worker was fully involved and very helpful - I hope I can find someone like that, but my experience so far has not been too good!

So after reading the rest of your experience, I'm wondering whether dad should move first, or if the assessment should be done in his current care home? Perhaps it won't matter either way. Knowing that it took you a couple of months to arrange and have the assessments done more or less agrees with the time frame I had in my head. But I bet it varies from area to area! And you can bet we live in one of the slowest haha!

Thanks also for your comments about communication. It's so tough. The thing I miss most is being able to make dad laugh. Even when his speech and cognition was deteriorating he would still laugh at my silly jokes, but that rarely happens these days. Like you, our conversations are sparse and random. They mostly revolve around weather, time of day (lunch etc), and the 2 or 3 people he still knows the name of (although I'm not certain he really knows who they are anymore). Sometimes we just sit and stare at the TV, or he drifts off and snoozes. I expect it's probably similar for you.

Thanks again x

Hi looviloo, I just wanted to let you know, that I have just received confirmation that dad has been awarded CHC funding by the Panel. So it's definitely worth trying for it as your dad sounds pretty much like mine.

If you do, I'll have my fingers crossed for you. Elle x

 

[looviloo]

Hi looviloo, I just wanted to let you know, that I have just received confirmation that dad has been awarded CHC funding by the Panel. So it's definitely worth trying for it as your dad sounds pretty much like mine.

If you do, I'll have my fingers crossed for you. Elle x

Thank you Elle... I've just replied to your thread (before seeing this) and I'm very happy for you. It must be a relief and it validates the help needed for your dad and everything you've been through. It also gives me some hope in my own case.

Speaking of which, I haven't got much further just yet but I'm waiting for a call from my dad's CPN (community psychiatric nurse) who I hope can give me some advice and perhaps, fingers crossed, some practical help.

 

[Elle3]

Thank you Elle... I've just replied to your thread (before seeing this) and I'm very happy for you. It must be a relief and it validates the help needed for your dad and everything you've been through. It also gives me some hope in my own case.

Speaking of which, I haven't got much further just yet but I'm waiting for a call from my dad's CPN (community psychiatric nurse) who I hope can give me some advice and perhaps, fingers crossed, some practical help.

Thank you looviloo. I'd almost talked myself into expecting not to get it, so I can't tell you how relieved I was to get the news today that dad has been awarded it. I wanted to share the news with you to spur you on to try so I really hope you get some good help and support. Support and evidence gathered by the care home seemed to be very key to the decision and definitely support from the SW helped so much.

I've read so many negative responses to CHC funding and the difficulties people have had trying to get it, I at least wanted to show people that you can also get a positive outcome if you only try.

As I said before if you need any help or support just ask.

Elle x

 

[clarice2]

I posted on the thread "CHC funding for home care" to show that I too have had a positive outcome.
Clarice2

 

[stanleypj]

As we're all agreed it's a lottery, it's surely worth trying to get it isn't it?
We were very lucky in that the district nurse who was always very helpful and knew Sue well was very supportive and filled in the initial assessment. I'm now a little hazy about the details but I was able to attend the first assessment meeting. There were a number of people there, including the DN. The majority had never met Sue. They all agreed that they should recommend that Sue should be awarded CHC funding. The Chairwoman said that she had only ever known of one recommendation which had not been accepted. A few days later we were informed that it had been awarded.

 

[clarice2]

Our meeting was the same. The district nurse advised me to try for it and did the first form. I was told when he was in hospital that he had been assessed and would not get it. I think I should have been told before and given the chance to be at the assessment. The meeting that followed was at our home. The community matron was in charge and asked all the questions. It was then discussed by myself, district nurse, a representative from the care agency we used and a social worker who had previously met and had spent time with him. I think 1 other person was there but I can't remember who that was. All agreed on the answers and at the end they told me he would be awarded CHC as it was very unusual for a decision made here to be overturned. I waited for the letter confirming this and the social worker came to explain what I was allowed to do and to work out a good care plan.
Clarice2

 

[looviloo]

Thank you Elle, stanleypj and clarice2, it's good to hear your positive experiences with CHC! It does seem like a hit and miss affair though. But one thing that I'm taking away from our discussion is the importance of having the district nurse, social worker or other professional on our side to support and guide us.

Happy to say my dad's CPN rang as promised and was very helpful. She suggested adult social care should be my first point of contact but that I should get back to her if they don't (for any reason) give me the support I need. She also told me to emphasise that I needed support with a 'change of residence' for my dad... such a little thing, but this phrase seemed to work well in my call to social care. I was asked various questions, and did detect a slight downturn when I told the person on the other end that dad was self funding, but also stressed that I wanted help applying for CHC at the same time. I was told it shouldn't take long to have a social worker assigned and for them to get back to me, especially as it was a 'change of residence' that was needed.

I'll keep this thread updated, since it might be as helpful to others as it has been to me .

 

[looviloo]

Dad has now been assigned a care worker, who rang me today, just two days after my request! She is curious why the care home he's currently living in now says they might not be able to meet his needs... I tried to explain (in as far as I can) but she's of the opinion he should stay there if at all possible. So to get a clearer picture she's going back to the mental health team (who dad was signed off from in March) and said she'd ring his GP to request a thorough medical review. And once this is done she'll visit dad herself, hopefully next week.

I went to see dad myself today. I feel so sad. He's declining and it's obvious to everyone, including the other residents. Yes, some days are better than others and today he was tired, but even thinking about how he was a couple of months ago it is heartbreaking. The care home manager and myself had a frank chat about the future and dad's decline, and she herself suggested the GP needs to urgently review everything. He's losing weight quite quickly and his interest in food is waning, although he did better this lunchtime... I feel he's needing more attention and might benefit from some one-to-one care. Maybe this will come up in the review/assessments, but if not then I'll mention it.

 

[Elle3]

Dad has now been assigned a care worker, who rang me today, just two days after my request! She is curious why the care home he's currently living in now says they might not be able to meet his needs... I tried to explain (in as far as I can) but she's of the opinion he should stay there if at all possible. So to get a clearer picture she's going back to the mental health team (who dad was signed off from in March) and said she'd ring his GP to request a thorough medical review. And once this is done she'll visit dad herself, hopefully next week.

I went to see dad myself today. I feel so sad. He's declining and it's obvious to everyone, including the other residents. Yes, some days are better than others and today he was tired, but even thinking about how he was a couple of months ago it is heartbreaking. The care home manager and myself had a frank chat about the future and dad's decline, and she herself suggested the GP needs to urgently review everything. He's losing weight quite quickly and his interest in food is waning, although he did better this lunchtime... I feel he's needing more attention and might benefit from some one-to-one care. Maybe this will come up in the review/assessments, but if not then I'll mention it.

Hi looviloo, all very positive to hear that things are progressing with the care worker so quickly, hopefully when she gets up to speed with how things are with your dad she will be able to help and give you the support you need.

Sorry to hear about your dads decline, it is very sad to see how things can change so quickly, hopefully the GP review will help things improve.

Take care and big hugs.
Elle x

 

[looviloo]

Hi looviloo, all very positive to hear that things are progressing with the care worker so quickly, hopefully when she gets up to speed with how things are with your dad she will be able to help and give you the support you need.

Sorry to hear about your dads decline, it is very sad to see how things can change so quickly, hopefully the GP review will help things improve.

Take care and big hugs.
Elle x

Thanks... it all started so well! I don't think I mentioned that the care home manager suggested that dad's decline meant he could potentially stay at the home, with community nurses coming in. I felt better about that. For a while!

Yesterday the doctor saw dad, and reviewed dad's medication but changed very little. He even added something to dad's very long list of pills and potions... an antihistamine in the belief he might have hay fever. We'll see if that helps with dad's runny nose (which he's had a long time, longer than hay fever season).

The doctor agreed with the care manager that dad might very soon need nursing care, so I'm back to looking for another care home for dad. It's like a roller coaster and I can't tell you how fed up I am!

To cap it all, I rang the social worker yesterday... she hadn't spoken to the doctor yet but promised to do so. She said that (with all respect) neither the care manager nor the doctor were in a position to know what the best future care for dad would be! That it sounds like dad needs more intensive care (I'm assuming she means some one-to-one?) but not necessarily nursing care. So I pinned her down to visit dad and we have an appointment for next Tuesday.

I didn't have a good day yesterday. I need to step back from it all for a while, but I think there's little chance of that until a decision/move has taken place.

 

[Elle3]

Thanks... it all started so well! I don't think I mentioned that the care home manager suggested that dad's decline meant he could potentially stay at the home, with community nurses coming in. I felt better about that. For a while!

Yesterday the doctor saw dad, and reviewed dad's medication but changed very little. He even added something to dad's very long list of pills and potions... an antihistamine in the belief he might have hay fever. We'll see if that helps with dad's runny nose (which he's had a long time, longer than hay fever season).

The doctor agreed with the care manager that dad might very soon need nursing care, so I'm back to looking for another care home for dad. It's like a roller coaster and I can't tell you how fed up I am!

To cap it all, I rang the social worker yesterday... she hadn't spoken to the doctor yet but promised to do so. She said that (with all respect) neither the care manager nor the doctor were in a position to know what the best future care for dad would be! That it sounds like dad needs more intensive care (I'm assuming she means some one-to-one?) but not necessarily nursing care. So I pinned her down to visit dad and we have an appointment for next Tuesday.

I didn't have a good day yesterday. I need to step back from it all for a while, but I think there's little chance of that until a decision/move has taken place.

Sorry Looviloo I meant to reply to this earlier in the week when I read it, but then I had to dash out and I’ve been so busy getting sorted for my holiday which I go on today, we are just waiting for the taxi! That I totally forgot. I haven’t got much time now, but I just wanted to say good luck with the SW visit on a Tuesday I hope you get some much needed help and support.

Take care and i’ll Catch up in a week. Elle x

 

[looviloo]

Thanks Elle! I'll update again after the visit from the SW. Have a wonderful holiday, you more than deserve it!