Dad disabled after accident, unsure how to proceed

Johnmcl7

I've been doing some reading but would appreciate some advice as this is a world I'm not at all familiar with. My Dad had an accident and broke his hip at the end of last year and needed to have it replaced with an artificial one (only the ball part, not a full hip replacement). He's had trouble with infections since then, he fell while in hospital and dislocated it forcing them to remove the hip and put a temporary repair in. The plan was he'd recover enough to have surgery to fit another hip replacement but it's now been decided that any surgery is too risky and he will need to manage as he is.

I'm not sure exactly what mobility he will have but we believe he should be able to move short distances himself with a zimmer frame but it doesn't look like he will be able to climb stairs and won't be able to use the bath.

I'm looking into what can be done to make this work thinking along the lines of getting a stairlift potentially and modifying the bathroom to remove the bath and fit some sort of wetroom. From what I've read, as he's retired and over 64 he can't claim PIP or similar. The Scottish disability site mentions help from the council to make changes to the house and spoken to an occupational therapist as the site recommends but they weren't very helpful.

I think it's possibly some time before he's home but would like to have modifications made before he's home (it seems it's going to take a while regardless) and would to know what options there are first.

Thanks,
John

Savvy_Sue

Is he in Scotland?

Does he own or rent his home?

Was he in reasonable health / did he have reasonable mobility before the accident? (That last affects prognosis ...)

Johnmcl7

Yes he's in Scotland and yes he owns his own home. His health was OK and his mobility was fine before the accident as in he didn't have major issues day to day however there are some liver/kidney issues which have impeded recovery. Those can manage fine normally but have struggled after he has had operations, he's been in hospital continuously now since March, he's doing OK apart from the hip now but obviously it wasn't an easy decision by them to decide he couldn't have another operation.

NeilCr

If he is 64 he would be able to make a claim for PIP. If he did that and was successful payment would continue beyond age 65

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/before-claiming/check-you-are-eligible/

If he is over 65 now then he can go for Attendance Allowance (no mobility component as compared to PIP.)

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/

ETA

While he could claim the benefits above while in hospital payment wouldn't start until he left.

Savvy_Sue

I'm not sure about where to go for help with adaptations if the OT hasn't been helpful, but I'd perhaps start by badgering the hospital - physios etc and the 'going home' coordinator if there is such a thing - to find out what their expectations are of this temporary repair, and what a determined person might be able to do if they're prepared to put the work in re doing exercises etc. Also ask about who you should approach re adaptations. In England there are sometimes grants but things may be different north of the border ...

sheramber

A Google search for 'disabled help Scotland' brings up several information sites.

BorisThomson

Does your father have any funds?

When a friend was in a similar situation she had an OT assessment (they should do this before discharge) and then we arranged for the work to be done. The alternatives were waiting months until social services decided if any funding was available, during which time S would either have had to stay in a care home or be in a pretty hazardous home.

Johnmcl7

NeilCr wrote: »

If he is 64 he would be able to make a claim for PIP. If he did that and was successful payment would continue beyond age 65

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/before-claiming/check-you-are-eligible/

If he is over 65 now then he can go for Attendance Allowance (no mobility component as compared to PIP.)

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/

ETA

While he could claim the benefits above while in hospital payment wouldn't start until he left.

He's over 64 so PIP is out but I hadn't heard of Attendance Allowance so will look further into that. That of course makes sense that he wouldn't receive any payment while in hospital since he is getting help there but if I can get the ball rolling sooner, it seems worth doing. I'm not sure how the six month rule would count though, the hip replacement itself wouldn't come under that but I would assume when the hip was dislocated and then removed would start the timer on that.

John

Johnmcl7

BorisThomson wrote: »

Does your father have any funds?

When a friend was in a similar situation she had an OT assessment (they should do this before discharge) and then we arranged for the work to be done. The alternatives were waiting months until social services decided if any funding was available, during which time S would either have had to stay in a care home or be in a pretty hazardous home.

My Dad does have some funds although I suspect the modifications are going to be expensive however if it's a case between getting him home and staying longer in the hospital, it would obviously be better to push on with the work and get him home. It may be there is no help available anyway so there's no point spending time on that direction.

John

NeilCr

He can apply for PIP if he is between 64 and 65. He can't when he becomes 65

Re the six month rule - it's from when he needed the care. Given that he has been in hospital for nearly six months I would have thought he would be okay

sheramber

Unfortunately, it will very much depend on the local authority. A friend's father was unable to go upstairs but the local authority refused to put in a ramp at the front door so he could get outside, a stair lift to enable him to go upstairs and a shower.

Despite input from the nurses who visited and his GP they would not do anything because he owned his own home although he only had his state pension.

Their reply to the arguement that he could not bathe was that 'cleanliness is not a priority'!