Home carers advice

williamalex1

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My 79 year old sister has recently left hospital, she's a widow stays alone and suffers from type 1 diabetes, arthritis and a mild form of osteoporosis .
She's in extreme pain trying to walk even when using a zimmer or crutches. She can't put any weight on her right leg without being in agony.
The family are waiting on the social works dept organising carers.

Anyone know the ins and outs, costs of private home care. Or can the family pick and pay a carer they know and claim some money back.

The social works dept are taking forever to even make an assessment visit.
 

jim8flog

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Where I live you used to be able to just have allowance from social services based upon their assessment of how many hours are needed and use that to fund your own care team.

It is an awful lot cheaper to have carers than go in to a nursing home but finding carers or a care company can be very difficult.

Going in to a nursing home is subject to a financial assessment and all assets (eg an owned house) are taken in to consideration. Finding a nursing home in the first place can be a bit of a nightmare and if it is funded by the council it may not necessarily be close to where she currently lives.
 

williamalex1

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Where I live you used to be able to just have allowance from social services based upon their assessment of how many hours are needed and use that to fund your own care team.

It is an awful lot cheaper to have carers than go in to a nursing home but finding carers or a care company can be very difficult.

Going in to a nursing home is subject to a financial assessment and all assets (eg an owned house) are taken in to consideration. Finding a nursing home in the first place can be a bit of a nightmare and if it is funded by the council it may not necessarily be close to where she currently lives.

She owns the house no mortgage and already converted for her deceased disabled husband, she's very independent and won't even consider a care home ATM.
The family do know a few local carers/neighbours they could possibly employ, not sure of the going rate though.
But they're not sure if they could do that, then possibly reclaim some of it back.
Might be a different setup here in Scotland
 
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Have a look at Carers Allowance, that’s a benefit which is not means tested but does have a list of qualifying criteria.
 

Blue in Munich

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My 79 year old sister has recently left hospital, she's a widow stays alone and suffers from type 1 diabetes, arthritis and a mild form of osteoporosis .
She's in extreme pain trying to walk even when using a zimmer or crutches. She can't put any weight on her right leg without being in agony.
The family are waiting on the social works dept organising carers.

Anyone know the ins and outs, costs of private home care. Or can the family pick and pay a carer they know and claim some money back.

The social works dept are taking forever to even make an assessment visit.

Don't know about up your way, but in leafy Surrey it was minimum £575 per week in the MiL's home which was residential care, not nursing care which is more expensive.
 

Bunkermagnet

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My mum was means tested for her carers when she was still at home, and when she had to go into a care home she had to self fund (after selling her house). The benefits she got did offset some of the cost, which when she died had just risen to £2.4k a month.
I cannot offer any advice on carers , but what I can say is that my mother refused for quite a while that going into a (good) care home would be best for her as she didnt want to leave the family home and all it's memories. What she didn't appreciate was the company and attention she would get in the care home, as after she had been there a short while she admitted she wished she had done it earlier. Yes the family home had memories and such, but when you're sat there all day waiting for the next carer visit or family member to pop in in an evening the house became a very lonely place.
The money spent on her care home was irrelevant to us compared to our mums happiness, and she was definately happier in the care home rather than sat alone in the family home.
Her care home was a family run place that always had the aura of a guesthouse, rather than the disinfectant smell of a large concern.
I hope youre able to find a suitable solution for your sister as we did for our mum.
 

williamalex1

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Don't know about up your way, but in leafy Surrey it was minimum £575 per week in the MiL's home which was residential care, not nursing care which is more expensive.
Don't know about up your way, but in leafy Surrey it was minimum £575 per week in the MiL's home which was residential care, not nursing care which is more expensive.
Sorry Richard , I worded that badly, i meant for a carer to come to her own home, mainly for mobility assistance and maybe make her a cup of tea.
 

williamalex1

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My mum was means tested for her carers when she was still at home, and when she had to go into a care home she had to self fund (after selling her house). The benefits she got did offset some of the cost, which when she died had just risen to £2.4k a month.
I cannot offer any advice on carers , but what I can say is that my mother refused for quite a while that going into a (good) care home would be best for her as she didnt want to leave the family home and all it's memories. What she didn't appreciate was the company and attention she would get in the care home, as after she had been there a short while she admitted she wished she had done it earlier. Yes the family home had memories and such, but when you're sat there all day waiting for the next carer visit or family member to pop in in an evening the house became a very lonely place.
The money spent on her care home was irrelevant to us compared to our mums happiness, and she was definately happier in the care home rather than sat alone in the family home.
Her care home was a family run place that always had the aura of a guesthouse, rather than the disinfectant smell of a large concern.
I hope youre able to find a suitable solution for your sister as we did for our mum.
Thanks Mate, i'll pass on you're advice, but she's stubborn just like your mum. I hope with just a little assistance she'll manage to stay in her own place for a while yet.
thanks again
Billy.
 

Hobbit

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We had carers going in to see the mother-in-law 4 times a day. She had no mortgage, a very good pension and tons in the bank. She still got carers allowance. The costs for 4 visits wan't fully covered but not far off. What you/her spend the allowance on is up to you/her.

Ideally, choose the carer company via recommendations not all are good.
 

jusme

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It is very different in each part of the UK, so I cannot speak for Scotland, however in general terms it is more generous in Scotland than it is in England.

You cannot pay carers now and claim it back. You must wait for the assessment of need and you will have options from there. There is such a thing as direct payments where her assessed need will be calculated into hours and instead of a care package being put in place you can choose the option of a finance package and hire carers yourself.

This is not an easy option as you or the person responsible for the package will have all the responsibilities of an employer - hiring/firing/ payrolls/pensions etc etc. I've been running 2 for years now. You can recruit a service to run most of these services for you but imagine what happens when your carer is sick?

With a direct care package from social services they will send someone else. Weigh up the pros and cons carefully.

Get on the phone and get your GP and any other professionals involved to push the department for a quicker needs assessment - this is the only way. BTW I am surprised she was discharged from hospital without this being done there if it was obvious she was unable to care for herself
 

williamalex1

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It is very different in each part of the UK, so I cannot speak for Scotland, however in general terms it is more generous in Scotland than it is in England.

You cannot pay carers now and claim it back. You must wait for the assessment of need and you will have options from there. There is such a thing as direct payments where her assessed need will be calculated into hours and instead of a care package being put in place you can choose the option of a finance package and hire carers yourself.

This is not an easy option as you or the person responsible for the package will have all the responsibilities of an employer - hiring/firing/ payrolls/pensions etc etc. I've been running 2 for years now. You can recruit a service to run most of these services for you but imagine what happens when your carer is sick?

With a direct care package from social services they will send someone else. Weigh up the pros and cons carefully.

Get on the phone and get your GP and any other professionals involved to push the department for a quicker needs assessment - this is the only way. BTW I am surprised she was discharged from hospital without this being done there if it was obvious she was unable to care for herself
Thanks mate, she had a very quick assessment before she left hospital how she passed i don't know, she can get about very slowly using crutches or a walking frame but she's in agony if she puts any weight on her right leg . We''l ask the GP to try and get the social services attention. thanks again.
 

williamalex1

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We had carers going in to see the mother-in-law 4 times a day. She had no mortgage, a very good pension and tons in the bank. She still got carers allowance. The costs for 4 visits wan't fully covered but not far off. What you/her spend the allowance on is up to you/her.

Ideally, choose the carer company via recommendations not all are good.
Cheers Brian.
 

Grant85

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My 79 year old sister has recently left hospital, she's a widow stays alone and suffers from type 1 diabetes, arthritis and a mild form of osteoporosis .
She's in extreme pain trying to walk even when using a zimmer or crutches. She can't put any weight on her right leg without being in agony.
The family are waiting on the social works dept organising carers.

Anyone know the ins and outs, costs of private home care. Or can the family pick and pay a carer they know and claim some money back.

The social works dept are taking forever to even make an assessment visit.

From the sounds of it she will be assessed as requiring care in the home and will obviously qualify for free personal care in Scotland.

A point of advice would be not to make it too obvious that she has family that could cover lunches and dinners etc as I think the Social Work will often try to 'lean on' people from that point of view.

My aunt was a caring neighbour of a woman who had no family living close by and ended up landed with 5 or 6 visits a week and doing her shopping for her.

As a relative you want any time you spend with her to be quality time, not harassing her to eat food, take pills and go to the toilet etc.
 

Doon frae Troon

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In Scotland care in her own home is free, they do try to keep them there as long as they can.
Contact council for an assessment.
My mother has three carers a day morning afternoon and bedtime.
She recently had a stairlift fitted almost free of charge which surprised me as she has a bit of savings put away.

Care homes in her area Lothians, are about £800 a week, less most of her state pension.
The cost of her long term care home will come out of her capital [house/savings/shares etc.]
 

jim8flog

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Have a look at Carers Allowance, that’s a benefit which is not means tested but does have a list of qualifying criteria.

Carers Allowance is what is given to people who look after other people and is not something given to employed carers. It is meant to replace lost income.

Be careful with this one as it affects other benefits paid. It is something I never claimed because it was a far smaller amount than the other benefits I received whilst caring for my wife.

The government website gives very good advice on Carers Allowance

It is not the same as what is given by Social Services for you to pay for carers.

It is not the same as Attendance Allowance which you sister may be entitled to claim, again the government website give all the advice for this benefit.

When it was obvious my wife was never going to recover we had some from the Department of Work and Pensions (current name) actually come out and go through all the benefits we were entitled to claim.
 
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mikevet

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Attendance allowance will be a given from what you describe - not means-tested and can be spent anyway the recipient wants . Local social services should have been notified when she went home, but you can always request an urgent needs assessment via her GP to push things along. It's usually free for the first 6 weeks (depends on local authority), but then there are private companies who will call twice a day to check they're OK, taken medication, change dressings, etc - cost varies, but can be around £10 for each 15 minute call. Get in touch with local Age UK as well - brilliant organisation; they can often arrange a weekly visitor 9at a cost) for cleaning and shopping. They also have a befriending service, whereby someone will phone or visit weekly, but there is a waiting list in most places. Local Citizens Advice will help if you need it, and their public website contains loads of useful information. If you want to check that she receives everything she is entitled to, then CAB can help again, or use Turn2us website, which has an excellent and easy-to-use benefits checker.
 

williamalex1

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Thanks for all the advice, i'll pass all the info on to her sons and daughters, especially to the daughter who already has power of attorney.
She's still waiting 6 days after being discharged for a visit from social services, despite the doctor being informed.
 
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Thanks for all the advice, i'll pass all the info on to her sons and daughters, especially to the daughter who already has power of attorney.
She's still waiting 6 days after being discharged for a visit from social services, despite the doctor being informed.
Not to frighten or worry your family, for every horror story there is a good story.
My M-in-law had a bad accident 20 years back and was discharged to home, her leg was in a plaster from toe to thigh, her husband was at home, but he was 4 weeks post op from a knee replacement, were are still waiting for the promised visit from social services!
On the reverse side, the M-in-law was unfortunately diagnosed with terminal bone cancer 2 years ago and her mobility has suffered the most, we decided to bring her to our home to live with us while we can look after her and provide the care she needs, but, because of the disappointment with social services last time, we pushed and chased rather than wait and we have had a great response, we have been lent specialist equipment, district nurses visit or contact every week to see if she’s ok or we need any help.
Don’t be afraid to ask or become a nuisance, the systems are in place but at times are overstretched and some people do fall off the radar.
Good luck and I hope you get the help and support the family need.
 

williamalex1

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Not to frighten or worry your family, for every horror story there is a good story.
My M-in-law had a bad accident 20 years back and was discharged to home, her leg was in a plaster from toe to thigh, her husband was at home, but he was 4 weeks post op from a knee replacement, were are still waiting for the promised visit from social services!
On the reverse side, the M-in-law was unfortunately diagnosed with terminal bone cancer 2 years ago and her mobility has suffered the most, we decided to bring her to our home to live with us while we can look after her and provide the care she needs, but, because of the disappointment with social services last time, we pushed and chased rather than wait and we have had a great response, we have been lent specialist equipment, district nurses visit or contact every week to see if she’s ok or we need any help.
Don’t be afraid to ask or become a nuisance, the systems are in place but at times are overstretched and some people do fall off the radar.
Good luck and I hope you get the help and support the family need.
Thanks Paul, i'll pass that on (y)
 
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