Hi there
Not posted for a while but am always reading the great advice on here.
Just really need to vent about social services. We've been waiting since January for an inititial assessment for mum so that she can be have one day at an Age Concern day centre which we will have to pay for. I can't believe how hard this is to achieve. Apparently she can't get referred by her community mental health nurse because her needs aren't 'complex' enough so we need to go through social services. Can anyone define what 'complex' means??? She has early onset Alzheimer's - their needs are pretty complex! Social services are a complete nightmare - never phone when they say they will, are protected by a customer service team that as far as I can see does nothing. I can't even get a name of someone that I can speak to. Feel like I am battling and battling to get mum into this centre and give my dad some respite. Things are hard enough as it is for sufferers and carers. I have taken on the role of dealing with all of this as my dad has enough on his plate. I have been told to pretend that we are at breaking point (isn't that the norm for us carers most of the time - we just deal with it..)
The system is so wrong - where's the joined up thinking and solutions from social services?? I don't want to get into just having a go at social services all the time - I know they are underfunded and overworked etc. but it's so frustrating when the solution is to just let other professionals do the referring if they can't. Apparently that used to be the case so why the change?? Also there seems to be a total lack of understanding about early onset Alzheimer's especially because the physical deteriation that is often there with older patients isn't with younger ones and it is this very point that makes caring for them even more difficult.
Is there anything constructive I can do to change the system?? Anyone got advice?
xxx
Not posted for a while but am always reading the great advice on here.
Just really need to vent about social services. We've been waiting since January for an inititial assessment for mum so that she can be have one day at an Age Concern day centre which we will have to pay for. I can't believe how hard this is to achieve. Apparently she can't get referred by her community mental health nurse because her needs aren't 'complex' enough so we need to go through social services. Can anyone define what 'complex' means??? She has early onset Alzheimer's - their needs are pretty complex! Social services are a complete nightmare - never phone when they say they will, are protected by a customer service team that as far as I can see does nothing. I can't even get a name of someone that I can speak to. Feel like I am battling and battling to get mum into this centre and give my dad some respite. Things are hard enough as it is for sufferers and carers. I have taken on the role of dealing with all of this as my dad has enough on his plate. I have been told to pretend that we are at breaking point (isn't that the norm for us carers most of the time - we just deal with it..)
The system is so wrong - where's the joined up thinking and solutions from social services?? I don't want to get into just having a go at social services all the time - I know they are underfunded and overworked etc. but it's so frustrating when the solution is to just let other professionals do the referring if they can't. Apparently that used to be the case so why the change?? Also there seems to be a total lack of understanding about early onset Alzheimer's especially because the physical deteriation that is often there with older patients isn't with younger ones and it is this very point that makes caring for them even more difficult.
Is there anything constructive I can do to change the system?? Anyone got advice?
xxx