Thoughts on sheltered housing?
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We live in extra care housing, though the housing association has two different schemes with different levels of care. There have been two or three who have moved to the other place for more round the clock care, one had worsening dementia. You need to have at least 7 hours of care a week in order to qualify for this scheme though, and can't have carers from any other agency.
I don't know if that is typical of all schemes or all local authorities, C had to have support from Social Services to apply for this place.
Most of the neighbours we meet in communal areas are fairly supportive, knowing C has Dementia, and were equally supportive of previous tenants who had dementia.
I hope that is helpful for you @try again. Best of luck with your mum's accommodation.
I don't know if that is typical of all schemes or all local authorities, C had to have support from Social Services to apply for this place.
Most of the neighbours we meet in communal areas are fairly supportive, knowing C has Dementia, and were equally supportive of previous tenants who had dementia.
I hope that is helpful for you @try again. Best of luck with your mum's accommodation.
My mum's place has 2 lounges, one which is residents only and one which is 'public' and used for activities open to others, not day clubs but clubs aimed at the elderly. Whilst not having an activities coordinator, the housing manager does arrange activities and there is something every day. My mum doesn't go to as much as she did, as her dementia has advanced and I think she finds it too much sometimes - similar to what we read about on TP when people are in care homes. (she always refused bingo and live music, but liked neither before dementia)
I don't have much knowledge of private sector sheltered extra care, only housing association ones, as I have had a lot of contact with that sector in my job. Originally they were Cat 1 sheltered and Cat 2 sheltered, Cat 1 having a warden, and Cat 2 having care staff on site - however this goes back to the early 90s as a description. Many housing acts and changes in governance structure and funding of the social housing sector since then.
My mum had to be assessed by social services to assess the care package, and each change in banding can only be approved by SS. I would expect this criteria to apply to all social housing developments. There is one SW assigned to the development, so whilst these have changed over the years my mum has been there, they fully understand my mum's needs.
I am frustrated by how the banding system works as it means that at the moment my mum has 7.5 hours care, but is banded at 10 hours. I pay the same care agency to clean and do her washing and they charge an hourly rate of £16 which is reasonable.
When she was in the 5 hour banding this was near enough covered by Attendance Allowance, and massively cheaper than being in a home. I (as POA) pay the county council for the care, so we are getting there rates. The council area I am in have had a massive push to develop more sheltered extra care, I presume as it is cheaper for them to move a fully funded person into extra care, than a care home. However for the majority of residents, dementia and non dementia it is a massively better move than a care home. A friends parents moved into a sister one to my mum's run by the same organisations, and they had a much better quality of life than they had had at home for 2 or 3 years (the mum possibly had dementia at the time of the move, the dad didn't)
The Local Authority subsidises the care package, so we only pay about a quarter of the cost. Previously, with a care agency at home we paid nothing. I'm not sure if that is because of the care package, which is roughly the same as before, or a change in the rules.
