The Crisis has arrived but not quite in the way I thought it would

[cairo mick]

I have posted on here a few times regarding my 87yr old bachelor Uncle who lives alone and has Mid stage Alzheimers. He is a sitting tenant and has been in that house (tenancy handed down from my grandmother) since he was 3. He was determined to die there and I have been trying to work out how I would care for him moving through the stages of Alzheimers. Had social services assessment (as at time I was moving to Northern Ireland - now postponed) who assessed him as suitable to live alone so long has had carers attend. I already pay privately so no change.

So the landlord - who bought the house with him as a sitting tenant (14years ago) has been trying to get me to put him in a home. I actually don't disagree with him - sadly Uncle does and social services agreed with Uncle.
So the landlord who has planning permission for side and rear extension started digging up the garden - 3' trenches 6' from his back door - "made safe" with an old bench, some plywood and a flimsy plastic barrier. He cant get to his motorbikes, his plants or hang his washing out. Uncle doesn't leave the house unless I take him out and part of his daily routine (whatever the weather) is to water the plants in the back garden. This is just the start. He wants to move him into a small 1 bed flat that he will build at the side of the house and completely extend and refurb the house. Although he says otherwise I know he won't move him back in to the house! Solicitors don't want to know, Can't get hold of age uk, citizens advice. My one hope is the council - who are yet to take statement from me - despite this going on for over a week let alone contacting the landlord. Building control - don't want to know, local labour councillors - platitudes but have done nothing. I have asked the carer to go in daily to make sure he is ok and on Wednesday I am taking him to see extra care sheltered housing and a mobile home on an over 55's park. It also would seem that the landlord (who has built a workshop at the bottom of my uncles garden - large plot - may well have a connection to my uncles electric meter and has been using it without his knowing - electric company again don't want to know. I am absolutely fuming not just at the landlord but at the lack of help out there - when apparently the law protects them.

I know now that I will have to have a massive house clearance to get rid of 87yrs of clutter. He will hate wherever I move him to because it won't be home. I will have the regular threats of suicide and walking out.

I am inclined to favour the extra care rental flat. As his Alzheimers progresses they can apparently up the amount of care they can receive and also there is a ready made community if my anti-social uncle wishes to join in without having to leave the residential block. It will double the cost of what he pays now - but I will know he is safer, someone will be keeping an eye on him and a decent landlord.
Stress levels are through the roof right now - and sadly the support at home is not quite what I was hoping for.

 

[SAP]

Gosh what a complicated issue for you to unravel. Does your uncle still have mental capacity. If so, and he does not wish to move there is little you or anyone else can do to make him, other than the landlord who presumably has rights regarding the tenancy. Obviously in this case your hands are tied and a move is imminent.
If your uncle is mid stage and bearing n mind dementia follows no rules, you will have to give some serious thought to where he moves to. Sometimes PWD go from your uncles stage to needing 24/7care in a very short time especially with moves and new routines.
Just a thought but I’m wondering is you could raise the housing issue as a safeguarding one as the landlord has not made the back secure for a vulnerable person to navigate. Would your uncle be safe out there if he took it into his head to go outside , again dementia does not follow rules. Anyway , a safeguarding referral will have to be investigated by social services.

 

[nitram]

Building control - don't want to know

Have you emailed images of what you consider to be insufficient safety measures to both building control and the health and safety executive?

 

[canary]

This sounds like a safeguarding issue to me too. The work in the back garden sounds very unsafe to me. It sounds like the landlord is trying to oust him out by being as difficult as possible. Im also concerned that your uncle has threatened suicide, or just walking out if he is moved anywhere else. I do think he is going to need a care home once he moves - I do think even sheltered accommodation will not be sufficient.

Please contact SS safeguarding - not the general number as, unfortunately, the different offices frequently do not communicate with each other and your concerns may just get lost. Make sure you tell them about the unsafe trenches in the back garden and the way he likes to go out to water the plants, and also about his suicide/walking out threats if he has to leave (which I honestly think he will have to).

 

[try again]

Be sure that an extra care rental flat will be suitable. Sometimes the move makes the dementia worse and extra care housing will no be able to cope and you may be facing a rapid second move.

 

[Hooch]

Would be worth reading the lease agreement, see if there is anything special about notice periods. Strange the landlord has not just sent a notice that he wants to end the tenancy. No letters lying around unopened somewhere?

 

[cairo mick]

Today I gave statement to council officer who will interview the landlord under caution for preventing lawful access to his own garden and interference with his peaceful enjoyment of the property. My uncle inherited the tenancy from my grandmother and despite the landlord trying to con an old man into signing a short term lease - it doesn't change the fact that he is a sitting tenant.

Spoke to my uncle tonight who is having the wobbles about looking elsewhere, it just really makes me want to throw my hands in the air and say sod it. Of course I won't. But the landlord will continue and I live too far away to stop him being a bad landlord. We will look at the extra care which though more expensive than now will ensure this won't happen again - which it will if I leave him where he is. I might have a chance getting him into a rental but I don't think he would put up with a care home not yet anyway

 

[cairo mick]

Have you emailed images of what you consider to be insufficient safety measures to both building control and the health and safety executive?

yes - made no difference.

 

[cairo mick]

I have made a new contact with social services asking for an emergency referral.

 

[cairo mick]

Gosh what a complicated issue for you to unravel. Does your uncle still have mental capacity. If so, and he does not wish to move there is little you or anyone else can do to make him, other than the landlord who presumably has rights regarding the tenancy. Obviously in this case your hands are tied and a move is imminent.
If your uncle is mid stage and bearing n mind dementia follows no rules, you will have to give some serious thought to where he moves to. Sometimes PWD go from your uncles stage to needing 24/7care in a very short time especially with moves and new routines.
Just a thought but I’m wondering is you could raise the housing issue as a safeguarding one as the landlord has not made the back secure for a vulnerable person to navigate. Would your uncle be safe out there if he took it into his head to go outside , again dementia does not follow rules. Anyway , a safeguarding referral will have to be investigated by social services.

thank you. Thats is what I have done.

 

[cairo mick]

I took my uncle to view some extra care housing today one of which would have been ideal. however Social Services have deemed him suitable at home with a carer. I have referred back saying that the house is unsuitable as the garden is now dangerous and he has mid stage alzheimers. The extra care housing won't accept him without a social services referral. Rock and a hard place - I do wonder what exactly social services require to make his suitable as the people we saw in the communal areas seemed of a not different ilk. Any clues anyone.

 

[Chizz]

Its probably to do with budgeting, by that I mean their lack of funds.; and whilst he's at home they haven't got to pay for accommodation, etc.

 

[cairo mick]

I sat and wrote a list of all of his vulnerabilities and quite scary and very sad and pinged it to social services who seem to think his needs can be met by having a carer go 3 times a day. They don't help a scared old man who has confabulations at 3am of someone knocking on the door. Or a trusting soul who lets strangers in. Or who could fall down a trench in the garden because he forgot. Or forgets to eat and drink. I could go on and on. When you put them all down you can see a carer popping in just doesn't cut the mustard. The extra care homes were actually very nice and lovely staff. He seemed resolved to the fact his home is about to be torn apart and this would be a better option. well at the moment anyway, until he forgets tomorrow. Bless him. Got to say phoned AGE UK - who were brilliant and gave amazing advice.

 

[canary]

I sat and wrote a list of all of his vulnerabilities and quite scary and very sad and pinged it to social services who seem to think his needs can be met by having a carer go 3 times a day.

I think the problem here is SS adhere to the mantra that everyone is better off in their own home, so they wont even consider anything else until their maximum home care (carers 3 or 4 times a day) has been tried and shown that it is not enough (even though its obvious)

 

[cairo mick]

a few updates. The council have taken on the landlord and are considering prosecution. The garden has been put back to how it was. SS will take forever and a day to organise a reassessment. However one the extra care facilities will take him without a referral. Off for a care assessment with extra care next week.