Our rights over Christmas and financial guidance please!

[Roseylee]

Hi, I have posted before about Mum's ongoing health. She is now back in hospital again, and as a family we have decided that a care home is the only way to ensure she is safe and looked after. We have tried carers coming into see her, and it has been absolutely dreadful, and we have had to make formal complaints to care company and the LA in which she lives for the poor care (or complete lack of it) which contributed to her coming back into hospital yet again! We live a distance away, and trying to juggle jobs, families, and make sure Mum is ok is getting too much for everyone. She lives in one LA and we want to choose a care home nearer to my sister in another LA. She will be a self funder in the long term (because we will need to sell her house, and we already have POA), but in the short term she has savings between the upper and lower limits, which I think falls into some sort of 12 week rule? does any one know? We are worried that a)hospital will try and get her out before Christmas, but she cannot go home since she cannot cope and lives alone, and we obviously need time to go and look at care homes in a completely different county, so how do we make sure she stays in at least over Christmas so that move to a care home is seamless and b) how do we make sure the proper assessments are done to give us time to look at various homes closer to my sister and pick the right one? c) who does the assessing? the new LA or the existing one, and do they actually speak to each other? d) who picks up the bill in the short term? She has been so ill in hospital, and it was touch and go a few weeks ago as to whether she would survive, but I am so worried that as soon as she reaches a few days of being "slightly stable" they are going to move her on. It wouldn't be the first time that SS have not consulted us, and it fills me with fear that the same thing will happen. We haven't had a call from the hospital SS yet, so I guess that's good, and I guess that to get anything sorted before Christmas now will be difficult for them? She is tiny - only about 6st, doesn't eat, or drink when at home, has fallen, is on continuous repeat, and is generally very good at putting on an act telling everyone she is absolutely fine. it's testament to how much she needs care full time now as when she is in hospital she puts on a bit of weight, but even that is only because they are feeding her high calorie drinks. I hate to think of her being in hospital over Christmas but then again, take comfort that she will be safe and looked after. Sorry for so many questions..........