To worry about where the money for dementia care will come from

[Potatoduster]

If the NHS is already stretched how on earth will it cope with a huge surge of the baby boomers needing dementia care and wanting the NHS to fully fund it?

@TheFaerieQueene completely agree with you.

It's such a terrible disease. No way in the end stages or as it progresses and gets worse could you care for people with it at home.

@Oct18mummy it may be free but there are a decreasing number of care homes that accept underfunded social care patients particularly those with dementia. Either you go far out of your area or in some cases put up with care homes, which in some cases, are considered inadequate or score poorly. (know of this happening)

Of course we all need to pay for care - but I think an equitable way of doing this via the tax system could be found, e.g. higher rates of inheritance tax for all. I also think it would be good to nationalise all care so that it's not a source of profit for private companies.

This is how I feel. Care is expensive, but it should all go towards the care not profit. I work in hospitality now, and managers have financial incentives to hit targets and go under budget, that's a business where people have a choice to use it or not, standards fall and people stop coming. Care home managers I've worked with have had the same deal, and it's just bloody wrong, corners are cut, people even put in danger, to save someone's profit margin. That's home beds funded by the client themselves, the local authorities and by continuing care by the NHS. And the people paying for the care have no voice and no choice for the most part.
Profit should be capped or best still, no profit and government run so the large amounts of money being paid are actually all going to care and not profit.
Doesn't go on care, doesn't go to staff doing the caring.
I've never seen a poor care home owner. ......... Seen plenty of poor residents and families and care/nursing staff.

The system of care we have would probably be OK for small numbers needing care but not when it's an increasing proportion of the population

The care home that MIL is in won't accept social care patients. Luckily she can can afford the care but DH refused to sign the paperwork from the home saying we were liable for payments. With the best will in the world here's no way we could afford to make up the difference between the social care payments and the cost of the home.

Crustytoenail that is it. I am with you. State run not for profit care homes.

Though I am hoping that I can be allowed to die with dignity before I need to go in a home if I judge it by my mums experience of Alzheimers

So if you don’t own a house which a lot of people don’t and you don’t receive an inheritance then you get dementia what happens ? It must be funded somehow

You get support from social services if you have less that £23250 in England (I don't know about the other areas). I believe it is then a sliding scale of how much you contribute.

I think we all need to consider now what we want for our futures. Personally if I had a diagnosis of dementia or a similar progressive cognitive illness I'd not want to be treated aggressively (it breaks my heart seeing people with complex dementia having antibiotics for infections) and my family know to let me go. I will commit suicide if I'm diagnosed early enough and my loved ones know this.
In the UK we don't talk about how we want to be cared for or how we want to die.
But the earlier we do the better for everyone and in the long run it might save us all money.

Hopefully people will be free to make a decision on their end of life plan, in the comfort of their family with a doctor obviously, not suicide but euthanasia.

They make the plan along with power of attorney in the early stages.

I am lucky in that I'm unlikely to live long enough for dementia (no dementia in our family so far, we die early), but I suspect by then there will be more acceptance of the right to organise one's own death when suffering from an incurable debilitating illness. Lets face it, I have seen people so ill and yet unable to stop the endless pain and suffering of their condition from which they eventually die. It must be truly horrible to suffer so long knowing the only outcome is a long slow painful death, which must ultimately cost the NHS/.various resources no end of ££££ in keeping alive with painkillers, the cost of a hospital bed etc etc .

Had they been a dog or a cat, the RSPCA would have been called out to euthanase months ago. We treat animals better.

You're not worried though, are you?
You've seen it on the news today and decided to write a thread about it.

it breaks my heart seeing people with complex dementia having antibiotics for infections

That's a difficult one though, because not all infections will kill you, or if they do it may be a painful unpleasant death. This means that often it's better to give someone with advanced dementia antibiotics for a UTI or chest infection not to prolong their life, but just to reduce any suffering. I know I wouldn't want to be left with a UTI as I know how painful it is and with many people it is almost impossible to assess pain levels when someone loses their verbal communication (the Abbey and the PainAd scales are indicators but not certain).

I think finding care will be the easy of our worries in a year or so. A approx 100k eu nationals work in care. Minimum wage mostly, They go, who will replace them, can't recruit from abroad as earning requirements will not be met.

And how would you work, pay bills etc if you’re providing care day and night? Many people with dementia will wander and have sleepless nights so you’d be responsible for that too.
Well with money saved I’d have a wage off grandma and still have enough to pay for a carer , grandma would still be better off, with the added bonus of not having to sell her home.

Care homes need to start paying better wages, then they wouldn’t have a problem getting staff.

Finding = funding, finding Easy = least.

I would like to make a quick point. Thank you to all care workers/nurses involved in dementia care. My father’s last years were so sad in many ways but the love and care from the team who worked with him was remarkable. As a family we visited him every day and got to know the staff very well. The morning my father died, they asked me if they could come in and see him to say goodbye. It was such a touching moment. They formed a guard of honour as his body was taken away. I won’t ever forget that.

@mumwon I know this as my other grandma who also has dementia didn’t have to pay as it was means tested and my grandfather still is alive in the property in this instance. Such a horrible disease.

I think if I had a 90 year old grandmother paying £1.400 a week to a care home I’d have her living with me. Probably not practical but at least not being ripped off.

Ridiculous comment.

@NerrSnerr they don't just give antibiotics for infections. Currently my GD is been given all round antibiotics and they don't even know if he has an infection.

Well with money saved I’d have a wage off grandma and still have enough to pay for a carer , grandma would still be better off, with the added bonus of not having to sell her home.

You've don't have a clue! Do you actually know how much carers cost?

I'd prefer the option of assisted suicide.

Well with money saved I’d have a wage off grandma and still have enough to pay for a carer , grandma would still be better off, with the added bonus of not having to sell her home.

It's clear you've never know anyone with dementia then. It's a 24 hour job. Patients are often violent. It's not just a matter of being slightly confused - they need watching 24/7 as they can be a danger to themselves and others. It's exhausting and all consuming. You'd need at least 2 carers as well as yourself just to cover the 24 hours, plus extra cover for holidays/going out, etc.