Dementia-Care Package Assessment

[Worried9871]

Name changed for this as very personal.

DF (92) has been admitted to hospital following a fall. He has dementia but has been living reasonably happily on his own with a home help/support from neighbours.

I am abroad in another time zone so hospital/ social services have been liaising with another family member. They apparently plan to move him to a local nursing home to carry out an assessment to see what kind of care package he requires to allow him to return home.

I wondered whether anyone here had any experience of this.

Is it normal to carry out an assessment in a residential care setting rather than in his own home? I am concerned that this will be very confusing for him - though I can see it may be easier for social services.

Could the family ask for the assessment to be carried out elsewhere? There is another care home nearer his house where people could visit more easily.

How long do these assessments take?

I have a P o A but I cannot get back to UK before the weekend and the social worker is proving elusive.

Many thanks for any advice.

[MereDintofPandiculation]

One model is for the assessment to be carried out in his own home, the other is for it to be done in a residential setting. I wonder if they're choosing the latter because they think they'll need longer to assess your father's needs? - the in-home assessment has to be done in about an hour on the day of discharge because care needs to be organised. Or maybe they doubt that your father will be able return home? (It would be even more confusing to send him home, assess, then cart him off to residential).

We were given a choice of a residential care assessment, or a "rehabilitation package" - which we chose as my father was keen to get home. He was returned home from hospital, then within the next hour, the District Nurse service Occupational Therapist arrived, as did the coordinator of the rehabilitation service. OT did an inspection of the house for electrical hazards, trip hazards etc, there was a period of bedlam as both of them were asking questions simultaneously of my father and of me. They then decided on 3 care visits a day, and I sorted Meals on Wheels. Two weeks into the "rehabilitation package" they decided he needed longer term care, and the carer help became chargeable. (A week later they decided the carers weren't doing anything - because my father was refusing help - and tried to withdraw them).

The assessment can be done elsewhere provided that a) the home has facilities to enable this b) the home has a vacancy.

Is the family in touch with the hospital discharge team? If not, they should be. But when dealing with the discharge team their priority is to free up beds - however, not at any cost - your bargaining chip is a "safe discharge", without "premature readmission to hospital".

[Worried9871]

Many thanks @MereDintofPandiculation. I managed to speak to a social worker today and the care home solution appears to be a short term idea. They have already decided he needs have a home care package but need a few days to put it in place. I hope to learn more when I get there on Sunday.