What should I be doing at this stage?

[Red5]

Hi Forum,
I am looking for a some help please.

Mum (age 83), is about to be discharged from hospital to her home where she will be supported by the local authority with 4 daily care visits.

I have been given a booklet about funding abd been told the weekly cost of the care will be arounf 750/wk

It feels quite overwhelming at the moment with so many things to try to understand to ensure we do the best things for mum

mum is not able to stand unaided but is a fall risk as she tries to get out of bed. the familiy will be present between care visits to manage this risk.

In terms of making the environment safe what Telecare devices should I be asking for?

We have been provided with a hospital bed but it does not have side rails and I have beeb told we cant have side rails which I dont really understand but that is how it is.

She has savings slightly over the 23k limit so initially we will be paying for the care until the savings are depleted. We would like to buy some items to help her such as a reclining armchair, a wheelchair, bedding and pajamas etc. Is there a limit about spending for these items? Also, what would the local authority accept for other living costs, she has a gardner a couple of hours a week, a cleaner for a couple of hours etc are these seen as acceptable uses of her money? What about routine things like household maintenence, replacement of furniture and appliances, groceries, gifts etc Is there a resource that details this sort of thing?

Am I missing any other things I need to be doing?

Thanks

 

[Monday’s child]

Hi Hello, I have just been reading another thread which has lots of info on what is needed/ provided which may be useful to you: https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/infection-has-caused-progression-overnight.142481/
Also in terms of reclining chair, wheelchair and other equipment, if you have to purchase this yourself you should look at charity shops in your local area, Facebook is a great resource for this. In my area a local hospice charity is inundated with recliner chairs in excellent condition/ tested which they sell for £50 which is much more affordable than the £2000 you would pay new.

 

[Gosling]

Hello @Red5 and welcome to this friendly and supportive forum. There is a wealth of shared experience of dementia to be found here so I am glad you have found us too!

I am sorry to read about your Mum
An important thing that you've not mentioned in your post is whether you have Lasting Power of Attorney for your Mum; if not then please do it now if she is capable of understanding what it is.
At least SS have sorted out a care package for her to be able to return home with 4 carer visits a day. That is good. If you and other members of the family plan to be there between visits, then you may wish to consider the future when residential care may be required. Sensible to consider it now I would say.

My Mum was never provided with side rails on a her hospital bed - rationale was, I think, that there was a danger of them getting limbs getting tangled up in them, (I may be wrong).

I'm sure other members will be along shortly with other suggestions. But I agree, if you are looking to buy equipment yourself, then do look at charity shops etc. They are so so expensive new.

Now you have found us I know that you'll benefit by being able to share with others, join in conversations, and ask questions or just let off a bit of steam if you need to.

 

[Hermann]

Hi Forum,
I am looking for a some help please.

Mum (age 83), is about to be discharged from hospital to her home where she will be supported by the local authority with 4 daily care visits.

I have been given a booklet about funding abd been told the weekly cost of the care will be arounf 750/wk

If the usual NHS/Social Services hospital discharge rules apply, you should get the first six weeks of the care free of charge regardless of your mum's means.

We have been provided with a hospital bed but it does not have side rails and I have beeb told we cant have side rails which I dont really understand but that is how it is.

I went through this with both my parents, who are in community hospital beds at home. The authorities never want to give you side rails because of the entrapment risk.

In my father's case, I explained (in writing) that since all his care is on-the-bed care and I would be doing this on my own at least half of the time, there needed to be rails for when I rolled him on his side to clean him; the bed has to be up high for the carer's convenience, and a fall from this height off the side of the bed could be disastrous.

They initially responded by saying that there should always be two carers doing this job so rails were not needed. I replied by saying that unfortunately there weren't always two carers but that if they were prepared to fund the two carers indefinitely I'd be happy to forgo the bed rails; failing that, if they didn't supply bed rails and my father fell out of bed while I was cleaning him I would hold them (the NHS/Social Services) responsible for my father's injuries. They sent me the bed rails the next day. In fact they sent two sets, but that is another story.

My mother's bed has one bed rail because we are able to put her bed against a wall, so an inner rail is not needed.

If they continue to refuse you bed rails and you and/or the carers feel you really need them, you can always buy them on the open market. Before I had convinced the relevant authorities to give us bed rails, I had already sourced the rails we needed on the Internet. Your mum's bed is unlikely to be a type for which bed rails aren't commonly available on the open market as a separate item.

 

[SherwoodSue]

The cot sides issue is a thorny one. It could be argued that they are a form of restraint.
also in an attempt to get out of bed a person may go up and over the top of the rails making the fall worse than rolling out of bed. A matress on the floor preferred by some but not good for a carers back!

 

[Hermann]

It could be argued that they are a form of restraint.

Yes, that argument is often made, though often for the sake of expediency rather than for the sake of the patient.

When dementia has progressed beyond a certain stage, it could be argued that all sorts of innocuous things, such as putting the person in an ordinary bed without rails, or in an armchair, or in a care home (none of which they may be able to leave unaided) constitutes a form of restraint.

 

[sdmhred]

I’ve noticed in mum’s home many of the bedbound folk have more of a mesh type side to the bed - which circumvents the getting legs tangled up…..everyone with any mobility has a pressure mat.

is some of this equipment - wheelchair etc not available on the NHS?

 

[SherwoodSue]

Yes, that argument is often made, though often for the sake of expediency rather than for the sake of the patient.

When dementia has progressed beyond a certain stage, it could be argued that all sorts of innocuous things, such as putting the person in an ordinary bed without rails, or in an armchair, or in a care home (none of which they may be able to leave unaided) constitutes a form of restraint.

Yes. I have known it to be frowned upon to use bed rails but where folks were cared for in armchairs tipped so far back it would take the core muscles of an athlete to get out from.
Semantics really