Re-assessment and funding???

[majorblue15]

My father has dementia and was assessed in April 2013 and we were told he would only be partially funded but he needed a care home with nursing dementia. Having found a NH that we thought was great for him, after they assessed him they said he wasn't suitable. (We think it's because he now makes a lot of noise and he may unsettle other residents already there). Our SW has told us that we should ask the assessement unit for any information they have so we can show this to potential NH.
They have given us his nursing assessment from April 2013 and he has already deteriorated since that was done so can we ask for another assessment?
Any NH that see's this report will find a very different man to the one that was written about in April!!

I don't understand why he is only partially funded and not fully funded!! Is it because he has a house even though my mum still lives there?? He doesn't have a lot of savings and it comes well below the £14,000 threshold? or is it to do with the assessment?
This is all new to us and we are really confused as a family!!

 

[juniepoonie]

I hope someone comes along soon who can give you some good advice. my bil has been in an assessment unit for 4 months an is going into a nursing home tomorrow. he was granted chc an will be funded until his nxt assessment in 6mths. we were told things could change then as if he becomes settled then chc may stop. I don't understand that either because its obvious he will have deteriated in 6mths time. god knows how we suppose to understand whats going on. bad enough we have to deal with the emotional side of this illness that we then have to worry about finding a NH for our family then worry about the financial side of it too. good luck juniepoonie

 

[majorblue15]

It's certainly a difficult time but we have only been in this situation since December 2012 it has been a very steep learning curve for us. We are trying to do the best for my dad and also my mum who is still going through the guilt of having to let him go into an assessment unit and now looking for a NH with a limited budget. It just keeps piling on the stress!!
Hope your BIL settles in his new home.

 

[juniepoonie]

thanks majorblue, like you we are new to all this. my sister had looked after BIL at home for long time but after a sudden seizure 4mths ago he went into assessment unit but to be honest she was at the end of her tether but wouldn't have done anything about it unless it had been forced on her. she didn't accept it easily an he deteriated rapidly in the time he has been in there. just the natural progression but sis blames herself that if he was at home he would have bin better off. not really true just her feeling guilty. today is an awful day for her she cant sleep cant eat keeps crying when really this is the best for BIL as we couldn't possibly have given him 24hr care. please let your mum know she is not alone with her feelings. to make it all worse for me my sister also has untreatable cancer at the age of 65 so she worries she wont be around for him also. oh well im not expecting an easy day today but a day we knew would come. good luck to you keep us informed how it goes juniepoonie

 

[majorblue15]

Thats the nature of the beast that is Dementia. My mum also has trouble sleeping and doesn't really eat properly through the guilt that he would have been better at home even though, like your sister, my mum couldn't cope with the 24 hour care my dad needed.
This day will come for us too but I hope yours is at least a day that can bring a small amount of relief. Hopefully your sister will now be able to give herself the time she needs to come to terms with the situation.

 

[Saffie]

I don't understand why he is only partially funded and not fully funded!! Is it because he has a house even though my mum still lives there?? He doesn't have a lot of savings and it comes well below the £14,000 threshold? or is it to do with the assessment?

This will be totally down to your father's CHC funding assessment and nothing at all to do with whether he owns a house, has a savings or not in any way at all.

I presume that the 'partial funding' referred to is the nursing element which is paid by the NHS for everyone who requires nursing care as opposed to social care. This is £108 per week.
CHC funding in full is paid if the needs of the person are considered over and above these. I don't know anything about any other partial NHS funding but others might.
Where dementia is concerned it seems to depend a lot on how aggressive the person is but different NHS areas take different viewpoints so it has become rather a postcode lottery as to whether you get the funding.

You can ask for a further assessment if your father's condition has changed and your post seems to infer that it has.

Incidentally, if your father's savings are below the lower threshold of £14, 250 and your mother is over 60, then most of your father's Nursing home fees should be paid by the Local Authority. All your father's state pension and half of any private pension will also have to be used, the remaining half of the private pension being retained for use by your mother. You should have had a financial assessment by the SSs to sort all this out. If you haven't then please do phone your Adylt Services and ask for it to be carried out.
good luck.

 

[majorblue15]

We have had the financial assessment with SS which she told us we could look for a home around £550 a week. When we found somewhere and we told the SW she then said that they paid £268 + nursing care of £109 and we paid half of his state pension and a private pension which came to just under £500.
Most of the homes around here don't cater for Dementia with Nursing care and any that do are at least £650 which means we have to fund the rest, another headache!!

My father who is virtually blind, no longer walks, cannot communicate coherently, is double incontinent and cannot feed himself. He now relies on someone else for his every daily need. After having spoken to the assessment unit this morning it seems he is now also not really eating anything - he has lost 6kg in 2 weeks.

What a cruel disease this is for all concerned!!!

 

[ITBookworm]

I think the SW has got her facts slightly wrong. SS have to provide funding at whatever rate is needed to meet your fathers assessed needs. Those needs include your Mum being able to visit regularly so they can't suggest a cheap home miles away if there is a slightly more expensive one locally. If your father needs more care than the 'normal' council rate will pay for then the council have to up the rate - they are NOT allowed to require you or your Mum to pay extra just for basic care.

If there is a choice of 2 suitable homes and the family pick the one with 5 star service, a sea view and massive rooms then the council will say those are all extras that the family pays for but they can't refuse to pay for basic things.

I would go back to the SW and ask her to suggest homes that "meet your fathers assessed needs" and that are also in the council price range. If the SW cannot find any then they have no option but to up the amount they pay.

Good luck getting things sorted.

 

[majorblue15]

Thanks for that ITBookworm.

Perhaps at the time of the assessment they were funding his basic needs, but he has deteriorated considerably since April 2013. I do remember the CPN at this meeting saying he wasn't eligible for full funding (whatever that meant!! )

Perhaps we need to have him re-assessed to be sure we are looking in the right direction (whichever way that is!!)
SW just gave us a book and told us to look for Dementia care homes, really no help whatsoever. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH We are so confused

 

[ITBookworm]

It sounds like a new assessment will be needed. I am in Scotland so not 100% sure of the system where you are but FIL's assessment was done by his SW just before we started looking at homes. She was able to say that he didn't need nursing after checking with doctors and carers etc who had seen him recently although the home he went to did say that he was borderline not long after he moved.

We were given a list as well but the SW did say which could dementia, or dementia nursing from the list. They weren't allowed to recommend any though. (Scottish funding is slightly different so we didn't have quite the cost issue you are having.)

 

[majorblue15]

Thanks ITBookworm, last night I spoke to a local representative from the Alzheimer's Society and he is now going to help us with all the financial and care issues. Hopefully we will have my dad re-assessed by the hospital and get the SW to give us a list of homes that fulfil the needs that my dad now requires as well as sort the finance issues we have.
Thanks for all your info.

 

[Andie89]

me and my family are going through this at the moment. My mum went 3 years caring for my dad at home, and its effecting her now, and as you all say, as if the emotional side of this disease isnt bad enough, you have to think of where the money is coming from, money they have worked hard for all of their life. Its so frustrating. hope its all been sorted for you now though and you have a little peace of mind

 

[scared daughter]

i had a CHC check list sprung on me on a discharge meeting from hospital to nursinghome ine June - I have had NO written confirmation of outcome or decisions made andhave been told not to expect any. Meanwhile my mother is in melt down in an EMI nursing home...........

I have no advice but WILL be reading your replied avidly xxx