Cost of home care for 88 year old

cepheus

My Mother lives by herself in a Lancashire council house bungalow. She has recently taken a turn for the worse, has stopped eating and is very weak. She can just move around with a frame, but requires some home care, mainly for cooking and supervision. Hopefully this is temporary, but her problem may become clearer after an endoscopy on Monday. She is due for an home care assessment this Thursday, which I have been unable to speed up.

I travelled up from the South to look after her for last week and was hoping my Brother and his wife who live near could take over from me for a while, but they can only help for the odd day or two. I have therefore hired home care from a company called Helping Hands for the times they can't manage to be there.

Has anyone else ever dealt with thus company? They quoted me a price of £12/hr which doesn't sound too bad, but she will require 37 hours home care up to Tuesday afternoon alone including evening which mounts up. They were the only company available at short notice. Is this the correct procedure or can some organisations provide cheaper alternatives over night care or block bookings?

I have never arranged care before and she has only been seen by carers for the odd hour in the morning and afternoon before. This was barely satisfactory, and the private help may have been even worse than the council run system.

bambinaUK

You shouldn't be paying.
Is it social services that is doing the assessment?
My mum was in a similar situation, only difference is that she is in a rented private flat not a council one. She was assessed as needing carers three times per day and social services organised it all and she does not pay for any of it. It is a private company that goes in and we were given a choice of 5 different companies.
Is your mum on any benefits?

cepheus

bambinaUK wrote: »

You shouldn't be paying.
Is it social services that is doing the assessment?
My mum was in a similar situation, only difference is that she is in a rented private flat not a council one. She was assessed as needing carers three times per day and social services organised it all and she does not pay for any of it. It is a private company that goes in and we were given a choice of 5 different companies.
Is your mum on any benefits?

Yes it will be social services, she was already assessed 3 months ago. My experience from this previous bad spell, is that council social service help is limited to the perceived assessment needs. She is currently paid the full rate of attendence allowance which of course is a very small fraction of the cost of full time attendence

Even if she could get full time council care, it takes a week to be assessed, what happens in the meantime? I said it was urgent but the receptionist said that nothing could be done until her Doctor came back on Tuesday.

The fact that I was in the neighbourhood didn't help though. She needs more than intermittent calls though. She really feels unsafe by herself and is frightened of falling when going to the toilet.

Old_Git

in my area SS told me they would pay for up to four calls per day .
Have you got her a panic alarm button ,so she can press it if she falls .
how much off the problem is real and how much is fear.
Have you looked at the voluntary sector to see if they can help.
37 hours off care sound a lot on top off what your family are giving I cant see social services paying for 37 hours off care .

cepheus

Yes, she wears a panic button provided.

Perhaps it is guilt at myself for not staying, in addition to a neighbour who keeps ringing me telling me how frail she is and how she can't be kept alone. Although she does crave for care as well.

All round care is essential during the next few days whilst she undergoes an outpatient medical examination which will be very stressful. After that 4 times a day might be feasible depending upon the results.

She has a four friends and my cousin which call in on weekdays, unfortunately they all call at the same time about 4pm. No-one seems to want to call in the Morning and Evening which is far more useful.

cepheus

I am surprised you don't need to pay anything, in Lancashire they charge for non residential care depending upon your circumstances.

http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/atoz/a_to_z/service.asp?u_id=2998&tab=3&siteid=4844&pageid=24245&e=e#anchor125514

Probably the mistake was to not insist on immediate care rather than an assessment since I guess something could have been done. For some reason I assumed an assessment had to come first and of course even though I was desperate for care they wouldn't tell me.

We will carry out a financial assessment to work out if you will have to make a financial contribution towards your care. However, you will have to make an interim contribution from the start date of the service of £15.00 per week until the financial assessment has been completed.

meer53

My MIL was in the same situation last year. 89, frail, kept falling, didn't eat properly. SS assessed her after a spell in hospital after a fall, she had carers going in 4 times a day but this was only for 6 weeks, where we live it's called an "enabling care" package. We didn't have to pay for this. They just make sure she's ok, and that she's eaten. Trouble is, they don't cook meals so if she told them she'd eaten, they just noted it in her file. Eventually, after another fall she was admitted to a nursing home. It was such a relief for us, we know now that she gets 3 good meals a day and that there is someone there 24 hours a day. It maybe something you will need to consider. No-one wants to see their relatives in a home but sometimes, it really is the best option, for everyone.

cepheus

Problem is she will be reluctant to move into residential care after all the bad press, as well as the loss of her council home and independence. Someone mentioned to me that she could move in temporarily without losing her home though. The way forward will be clearer after the results from todays tests come back.

Just had a word with help direct 0303-333-1111. They seem to confirm that until an assessment is undertaken all I could have done is the private care which I have arranged which is of course about £300 per day full time. There is no way this could be refunded. I expect most people just arrange intermittent visits through the day. That may be an option for Wednesday and Thursday, assuming she doesn't deteiorate and has got over the shock of the examination today, but her neighbour won't be pleased with that arrangement.

The care seems to be competent anyway, if we can use these people and get it paid for that may be a better option by the sound of it.

missile

37 hours @ £12 is £444 i.e. far more than many are paid. I would advertise for a live in carer.

bambinaUK

Sounds to me that she should have gone into either short-term residential rehab or respite care. Too late for rehab, but not too late for respite care. This again is something that can be sorted out directly through Social Services. If you want to organise this privately, it might work out at the same cost as full-time carer, but she would have someone 24hrs per day.

My mum is 83 and has gone through periods of being extremely ill and frail. I quickly learnt what services were available in the local area and now wont let them send her straight home from hospital without being assessed first.

cepheus

bambinaUK wrote: »

Sounds to me that she should have gone into either short-term residential rehab or respite care. Too late for rehab, but not too late for respite care. This again is something that can be sorted out directly through Social Services.

Mum is reluctant to go into care home if that's what you mean, rather have me looking after her full time!

She has developed jaundice now, so that may influence the assessors on Thursday. She may even be admitted into hospital which will settle care short term, although very worrying from a health point of view..