When her money runs out?

[PollyB]

My 88 year old mother has dementia and visuoperceptual difficulties caused by the dementia which means she cannot understand what she is seeing. I would like her to go into a CH and she thinks it is a good idea too. The SW thinks she should have a care package of 4 visits a day so that she can stay in her home, but what happens when they are not there? We have already tried having private carers and meals on wheels and they were not a success. Mum has no short-term memory and concept of time and eats her lunch between 10.15am and 12.00. She waited for a carer to arrive when it was not one of her days and became very upset. I visit several times a week, change her clothes, cook, clean and garden but things still occur when I'm not there. The SW said that if she does not meet their criteria when her money runs out they will not pay for her care and she will have, effectively, made herself homeless. The SW also suggested we see a specialist to find out what her prognosis will be! Can anyone tell how dementia will evolve? She has enough funds to last for approximately 9 years, depending on which CH she goes in and how much we get for her bungalow. Has anyone else been in the situation where the LA refuses to pay the CH fees when the money runs out, and what would their criteria would be?

Any information would be greatly appreciated as things can't go on as they are.

 

[Beate]

I am not an expert and I am sure others are more qualified to respond, but Social Services have a duty of care. There is no way they can just make your mother homeless when her money runs out. I think they are just trying to scare you because they don't want to have to pay for her. As for the diagnosis how her dementia will evolve, how long is a piece of string? Everyone is different and even a GP won't be able to tell you how long your mother will live or how quickly she might decline.

 

[Delphie]

I don't have direct experience of this but I really think that the LA would still have an obligation to pay her care fees. The worst that might happen is that she'd be moved to a cheaper care home (which still has to meet her needs of course).

And to be perfectly honest given her age and illness I wouldn't worry too much about what will happen in 9 years from now. Give her the best quality of life now. Just my opinion of course.

 

[PeggySmith]

The SW also suggested we see a specialist to find out what her prognosis will be! Can anyone tell how dementia will evolve?

Sadly, dementia is a life limiting disease for which there is little treatment and no cure. Sometimes I do wonder just which planet these people are living on

As Delphie & Beate have said, I would go ahead and start looking for the right home in your area. There really are plenty of nice ones out there - just don't be wily-beguiled by "posh".

 

[supporter1]

If it were me and my mother could self fun for 9 years and I felt she needed it I would take the plunge. In all likelyhood in 9 years it is very probably she would meet the criteria anyway.

Often the SW and Psychs just want to give things a go to prove they do not work . In my dads case they were all convinced he would manage with careres coming in x4 per day and him in extra care sheltered . Family were adimant it would not work but they insisted ( there were reasons why they could insist as he was in an NHS assessment unit) . Surprise , surprise it lasted 48 hours and ended in a police search Thankfully he is now in a res home and safe.

So to my mind you either let them try and as you have already experienced fail then move her or you just do it .

As has been pointed out the most they could do is to move her to a cheaper care home at a later date as they would still have a responsibility to care for her as she is a vunerable adult.

 

[lin1]

Oh dear it sounds as if that the SW was trying to put the frighteners on you.

I am no expert but IMO , even if Mum doesn't meet their criteria for residential care when her funds drop below the thresholds they still have a duty of care to ensure she is cared for appropriately , though this might be in a cheaper place, but it would still have to meet all mums needs, so if their is no cheaper place that can cater for all mums needs, they should pay for the dearer home that can, they are likely to fight this though.

If mums funds drop below the threshold of think it's £23. 500
down to around £15000 They make payments on a sliding scale.

Above the higher limit the person is fully self finding, the social workers should have nothing to do with residential placements ie where/when a person goes into care, until mums funds start to get near the upper limit.
Under the lower figure they fully fund the person.

As to them wanting to know the prognosis of this horrid disease. Sadly Dementia over time gets worse and SS knows this. The time varies greatly from one person to another.
Even the experts can only give you an idea based on their experience and statistics.
We have sufferers on here who are way outside those statistics

We have people on here who know all the inns and puts, even the legal side, hopefully they will be along soon.

 

[Pickles53]

If it were me and my mother could self fun for 9 years and I felt she needed it I would take the plunge. In all likelyhood in 9 years it is very probably she would meet the criteria anyway.

Often the SW and Psychs just want to give things a go to prove they do not work . In my dads case they were all convinced he would manage with careres coming in x4 per day and him in extra care sheltered . Family were adimant it would not work but they insisted ( there were reasons why they could insist as he was in an NHS assessment unit) . Surprise , surprise it lasted 48 hours and ended in a police search Thankfully he is now in a res home and safe.

So to my mind you either let them try and as you have already experienced fail then move her or you just do it .

As has been pointed out the most they could do is to move her to a cheaper care home at a later date as they would still have a responsibility to care for her as she is a vunerable adult.

I agree, nobody will be able to say what the situation is likely to be in 9 years time for your relative but it's highly likely the criteria for a residential placement would be met. You could certainly argue that after 9 years in a particular home it would be severely detrimental to her care if she had to move. And none of us know what will be happening in 9 years time however well we plan. If I look back to 2005, I had no idea at the time that between then and now I would live in Shanghai for a year or acquire a son-in-law and a grandson.

 

[PollyB]

Thanks

Thank you so much to those who replied to my post. It certainly put everything in perspective. I have now found a CH and Mum is moving in on Friday.

 

[Wolfsgirl]

Well done, brilliant news...expect a few teething problems but I am sure your Mum will settle and appreciate the constant company given time

Thank you so much to those who replied to my post. It certainly put everything in perspective. I have now found a CH and Mum is moving in on Friday.

 

[lin1]

I hope your mum settles in well and quickly
I would be very surprised if their weren't any teething problems , just keep a close eye on things and mention any worries to the manager.

Hope you have labelled everything with mums name as things can get picked up by other residents