What happens at SS assessment?

[choppingmushrooms]

DPs live alone with a carer twice a day. She's a private carer that they both like and trust enormously. Whilst she was away I arranged a private agency, the carers were nice and kind but DPs struggled with many different faces so it wasn't really successful .

I've spoken to their GP, we need to have a safety net in place for timed when their carer cannot attend and I do think they're struggling to cope however they deny this.

Anyway, could anyone share what happens at an assessment? DPs will not be happy should I arrange it and I wouldn't do so unless they agree.

I'm trying to sell it as ideas to make life easier, but I'm a bit out of my depth.

We live 300 miles apart.

To be honest, I haven't found the ss assessment that useful as my parents (mum has severe dementia, dad is frail and not great mentally) are self funding so it was 'you need to have more help' but it was then totally left with them.
The more successful tactic has been working with their carer (she is a private carer and wonderful) to introduce more people into their care - she told dad he needed a cleaner and that went from one day to 3 and the cleaner chucks out off food, does laundry and makes sandwiches. Then she found someone to take mum out for an hour and thats gone to twice a week, and this new lady will cover for their normal carer.

It's all incredibly hard though, and my parents are always on a knife edge of coping. Mum quite enjoyed a respite stay in a home when dad was in hospital, but he would fight tooth and nail against it (he shouted at me at the time, but there wasn't a choice) again

Thanks CM, mine sound as if they're in a similar position.
I struggled to find another carer when theirs was away, I think that's where I should concentrate my efforts.
Tough isn't it?

MIL's social care assessment was a ten minute phone call with a social worker who completely failed to take into account the fact that MIL has mixed dementia and her default position is to refuse everything, with no thought process behind the refusal.

This leaves her massively at risk.

MIL will be self-funding if we ever get any support in, but as her DC prefer not to engage with the fact that she has dementia at all, they really needed to be told by someone who had met MIL face to face and seen the way she is living.

Disappointed didn't really cover it for me.

I found it a pain. I actively had to ask for it, and three appointments were cancelled at short notice - not great when I live three hours away, and I never received the report.

To some extent this did not matter as my mum is self funding. However I really wanted to avoid a repeat of the situtation where my mother's dementia was not acknowledged and she was discharged from hospital with two days notice to an empty flat, effectively immobile, and on Christmas Eve. SS are now aware that she has severe problems looking after herself, and so should be expected to support the need to ensure there is effective support for her at home before any future discharge.