Question 9:
I hope your discussion covers NHS Continuing Care (NHSCC).
This is very poorly publicised - I, a retired NHS consultant surgeon, had not heard of it and when my wife with Lewy Body Dementia started needing more care than I could give her I was only pointed to 'social' care for which we no where near passed the means test. It was a 'friend of a friend' who hearing me moan about it pointed it out to me. After a hard battle (it took 6 months, but we did get partial back pay) she was eventually granted it for a full-time live-in carer plus cover for his time off. Worth c £1,000 a week., enabling me to look after my wife at home for the last 18 months of her life. I worked it out as being cheaper than a nursing home.
The Alz Soc's website (as also Age Concern's) hides info about NHSCC deep in its website and one needs to be persistent to find it.
Fortunately though my wife's main diagnositic label was 'Lewy Body Dementia' which by itelf would not pass the strict criteria to get it granted, when I persuaded the assessors to break her disability down to its Parkinsons element with its mobility, incontinence, swallowing and feeding problems, lack of spatial awareness etc etc, it ticked enough boxes.
AS needs to campign ++ to get dementia classified as an illnes / viz as a 'health' and not a 'social' problem
I hope your discussion covers NHS Continuing Care (NHSCC).
This is very poorly publicised - I, a retired NHS consultant surgeon, had not heard of it and when my wife with Lewy Body Dementia started needing more care than I could give her I was only pointed to 'social' care for which we no where near passed the means test. It was a 'friend of a friend' who hearing me moan about it pointed it out to me. After a hard battle (it took 6 months, but we did get partial back pay) she was eventually granted it for a full-time live-in carer plus cover for his time off. Worth c £1,000 a week., enabling me to look after my wife at home for the last 18 months of her life. I worked it out as being cheaper than a nursing home.
The Alz Soc's website (as also Age Concern's) hides info about NHSCC deep in its website and one needs to be persistent to find it.
Fortunately though my wife's main diagnositic label was 'Lewy Body Dementia' which by itelf would not pass the strict criteria to get it granted, when I persuaded the assessors to break her disability down to its Parkinsons element with its mobility, incontinence, swallowing and feeding problems, lack of spatial awareness etc etc, it ticked enough boxes.
AS needs to campign ++ to get dementia classified as an illnes / viz as a 'health' and not a 'social' problem
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