Carers and Carer Support

[HorribleDay]

Carers 'missing out on support', says charity

From the report:
'David Rogers, chair of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "As this report highlights, the sad reality is that many carers don't recognise themselves as such and fail to seek the support to which they are rightly entitled, and which is widely available through their local authority."'

I have recently requested a carers assessment for my Mum who has physical disabilities, and who is caring for my Nan who has dementia. Social Services said 'no' as my Nan doesn't need help to wash herself and therefore doesn't meet their threshold criteria, which means neither does my Mum. MH services said 'no' as they don't have the resources or time, and the diagnosis is not yet confirmed (despite ++ evidence to the contrary).

My FIL is dying of cancer and no one, at any stage, has mentioned a carers assessment or care needs to myself or DH. Fortunately we both work in the care industry and are able to ask for one ourselves if needed. And the support FIL is getting is fabulous (all hail Stockport NHS).

AIBU to think that the rights and needs of carers, in all capacities, are just not addressed - and when they are highlighted, everything that is humanly possible is done to block their right to an assessment? Really hope it's just my Nan's local authority that are shite and that this isn't a nationwide issue (though, suspect it is).

Sorry, I am in a bleak old place today.

[ddubsgirl]

sorry to hear about your family op,and your right the system sucks,carers are highly overlooked and over worked.

[corygal]

Couldn't agree more and well done for pointing this out. First-person carer's stories I have heard/read are jaw-droppingly awful.

Inevitably carers' stories begin with "Basked in a warm glow to see Mum so pleased when she came to live with me" and inevitably end (too soon) with "Following my complete nervous breakdown, Mum was carted off to a nursing home. Which she liked more than my house."

Of course carers are completely ignored - there are loads of reasons why, too. Whereas mothers get a lot of lip service (and always have done), caring is seen as predominantly women's work - ie easily ignored. The people they care for, often dementees who are part of the out-of-sight out-of-mind seriously mentally ill fringe of society, are ignored too. As are the old. Let's not start on the physically disabled. So there's the four groups of people that society ignores, all rolled into one handy Let's change the subject.

As carers point out when they have a moment spare to breathe, underrating this army of the unpaid makes no sense. "Carer exhaustion" - a craftily vague expression for what is often physical and emotional collapse - is pricy to deal with as you end up with two NHS patients - the carer and, for want of a better word, the caree. Carees alone cost £1,000 a week in a home now. And carer exhaustion is on the rise.


So perservere - really, social services will come through in the end. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

Good luck

[HorribleDay]

Thanks both. It's making a phenomenally hard situation worse... And will cost them far far more if (when) my mum cracks and Nan ends up in a home :( All vet reactive too - 'when she falls / breaks hip / gets beaten by one of the random scrotes she invites into her home hectare of her dementia, THEN we'll do something' .... NOTHING proactive at all :-(

[HorribleDay]

Hectare? Because off

Vet? Very.

Typing while eating :-)

[stanleypj]

And you might well find that if you ever get a carer's assessment it doesn't actually amount to much. In fact, they probably spend more on producing it than they do in helping you.

I'm a carer. I have a blog: adventureswithdementia.blogspot.com. I could actually fill it with tales of broken promises and failures to deliver. Fortunately we are not poor - yet - so can fund some things ourselves. But you're supposed to get 'emotional support'. Still waiting!

[HorribleDay]

Sounds about where we're at now - got a letter saying they'd tried to ring me to arrange assessment but couldn't so were closing case and to ring if anything changes - I had 1 missed call last week, no voicemail left, and have already been through whole case twice with same duty Dept.....!!!!

Will have a look at blog thank you :)

[CardyMow]

Caring for Carers - that's what we need to be doing. Just wish the Government weren't so shortsighted on this issue.

[Boomerwang]

In my limited experience as a carer, I find a lot of hot air is blown about how not enough carers come forward to claim support which is rightfully theirs, but when they do they are put through so many hoops it just makes a bad situation worse.

I also think the support is related completely to the area you live in.

[HorribleDay]

Totally agree - def varies. And Caring for Carers - now THERE'S a ConDem policy I could support (unlike everything else they're dismantling)...