What do you have to do to get into a care home?

[shinee]

you could send her into a nursing home. She may get both nursing and personal care by licensed health professionals for her long term care.

[cryptic1]

Why can't you look after her?

 

Disgusting comment from someone who obviously has no idea what caring involves 24/7. The keys to the care home door are having money, being a major risk to oneself and the health of loved ones, and giving social workers and local councillors a kick up the backside... Daily !

[wodger]

I will end my life rather than go into a care home. Many of these are worse than Doncaster Prison. I am fortunate not to have any family that would be upset at my passing, But if I did I would never burden them with caring for me once my life is near the end. When a person cannot even wipe their own noses and need help with wiping thier butts then that is the time to say Bye Bye. I am prepared and ready to go once my life becomes meaningless..

[mary70]

If your nan was to come home to her own home could you afford to pay a night sitter for her, then at least you would know she is being looked after and then she would be ok with the 4 day visits they have suggested

[mammybear]

we got my nan into a nursing home after she fell and broke her hip (age 96). we went round a few nursing homes and picked one we liked and the manageress at the home arranged everything with the social workers and hospital etc. try approaching the homes direct. good luck.

[Daven]

My family is in turmoil and I need help.

 

My grandma is 91 and has various illnesses, is almost blind and has been cared for by my mum for over 20 years. She's now had a fall and has broken her hip which has required a hip replacement and now has restricted mobility as well.

 

My mum can no longer cope and it has been a hard and painful decision to realise that Nan needs to have 24 hour care.

 

The CICs team assesed her on Wednesday and said she was not fit to be at home and have admitted her back to the Northern General. We have now asked the hospital how we get the care she needs - and have been told that she will have to go home (again) first with carers coming to her 4 times a day, but still being left alone overnight before she can be deemed in need of going to a care home.

 

This is going to require her to be neglected and left alone to potentially fall again before she can go into a home to get the care she needs.

 

Is this right?

 

Does my mum really have to endure seeing her mother suffer and be left in a mess to prove she can't cope before she gets any help?

 

Whilst she is in hospital she will have her needs assessed - she will be seen by the Physiotherapist and Occupational therapist who will assess her ability to perform day to day activities such as washing, dressing, kitchen skills and mobility. If there is any doubt about her ability to cope in her home environment then a visit to her home will be arranged to assess if it is possible to adapt her home to enable her to be safe there. It is a very long process and it may be, at the end of it all, the team believe she would not be safe and will advise 24 hour care - the type will depend on her needs.

She has a history of falls so the assessment tightens up as all memebers of the assessent team (which includes nursing staff) have to be satisfied that she will be relatively safe in her own home.

Your Mum needs to be sure that she tells the therapists that she can't cope anymore and that she mustn't feel gulity about that. It is a difficult decision she is making but has to be the best one for your Grandmas safety and comfort.

All the best. My family and I have been through this process with our Mum very recently and found the hospital staff outstanding in their support and understanding.

Thank God for the NHS.

Wishing you and your family all the very best. X

Edited March 25, 2011 by Daven

[Daven]

Going into a care home has to be the last resort and should ideally only really happen when the person themselves makes a positive choice to go there. Its natural that families are concerned about frail relatives but the older person needs to make the decision and the outcome will be more positive if they do. People who go into care because they are made to feel a burden or are not even consulted (it happens a lot) are more likely to suffer when they get there.

 

Most homes in the UK are run for profit and for the benefit of their owners. There are some good homes out there with good staff but these are often the higher prices ones where only people with private means can go. Some of them are dire and don't offer any dignity or comfort to those unfortunate souls who live there.

 

Your gran may be better off at home; somewhere she knows, even if she needs help from others to stay there safely. If social services think its feasible you should consider what they are saying. It would be cheaper for the council if she went into care so their advice is not based on money but on what they know about people in your gran's predicament.

 

Best of luck to you and your gran.

But the OP has stated that their Grandma has had falls and when this is the case it changes everything.

The elderly are NOT always better off in their own home - please don't cause the OP any more guilt than they are already feeling.

There often comes a time when the elderly persons safety and comfort has to be considered and this does NOT always mean returning to their own home.

[alirosdan]

This sounds very similar to my situation with my grandma in 1999. She was assessed as needing residential care but there was no funding to allow her to be looked after (apart from the 2 visits a day).

 

I wrote to the director of Social Services, and told her that I would hold her personally responsible if anything happened to my grandma whilst she was living at home. Funnily enough, she was in residential care by the end of the week.

[dunsel]

Alirosdan, kick ass, things happen, they are on 27K. Make them earn it!

[flibble]

I'd just like to say that discharge decisions aren't just down to Nurses and Social Workers. It should be discussed with the whole mutli-professional team, and if there is any conflict there should be a case conference to discuss all concerns. Can I ask if your Grandma has seen a Physio or an Occupational Therapist? Have you checked if she can meet her own toilet needs inbetween carer calls, and especially at night time? I'd recommend you ask the nurses to do a night assessment to see if she needs any help. If she does, you have a case to request night calls (which are very rare), however, if Social Services can't assist in this then you have a case to argue residential care. Elderly people are more likely to fall at night (disorientated, dark, sleepy, reduced mobility), and if your Grandma needs to get up to use the toilet during the night then they need to ensure this can be continued.

 

Good luck!