Night time caring and SW involvement.

[Goldsmith]

I wonder if anyone can answer these questions for me. Any comments will be gratefully received. Forgive me if you have been following my posts and have read most of this before, there are some new bits.

FIL is currently in hospital, admitted following a fall and a UTI and we have been told that now medically he is fit for coming home but doctors want to keep him in because he is extremely unsettled all night. We told the hospital staff this many many times. During the day he is just lovely, sits watching TV, can interact and is no trouble at all, however at night he is up and down constantly and wanders around completely confused and bewildered. During the day we manage with the help of carers who come in each morning to dress him, we do everything else, he is not incontinent.

I asked, more begged the doctors to give him something to ease the anxiety and help him settle so we can try to turn his day and nights back around but were told there was no medication they could offer him. A social worker assessed him and arranged a package of care of carers coming in four times a day on his release. We told her days are ok its the nights we need someone. Basically, like everyone reading this we have been told there is no night care available unless we self fund. She suggested I sleep during the day so I could be up with him at night, basically she is suggesting I turn my nights and days up side down too. It was even suggested we consider a care home. So, they are willing to help fund a care home but not for an overnight carer.
Has anyone reading this been able to get overnight carers and is it possible social workers could actually over ride us and place him care?

 

[jaymor]

I don't think the SW will over ride your decision to keep your FIL at home. Your problem will be as I think you know, the overnight care being covered. It will be expensive, could you manage to cover just 2/3 nights just to give yourself some respite?

Have you tried any of the over the counter calming medications? Not sure whether they would work but might be worth a try. My husband was a non sleeper and his consultant prescribed sleeping tablets short term to try to sort his body clock. They were short term, they put him to sleep within minutes but unfortunately within an hour he was wide awake and ready to start the next day so they were stopped.

Hopefully someone will be along soon who has managed to sort out night cover.

 

[Biggest Fairy]

Ask for melatonin. If it works, it will get the nights and days sorted. It's not a sleeping pill.

As for night care, from what we've worked out, your only funded option would be to go for direct payments, take on all the day care yourself and use the payments towards a night carer.


Sent from my iPhone using fat thumbs and an inability to remember to proof read.