Handing the Double Dementees over to SS

[Supersimkin2]

Hi all you reluctant experts - theoretical question here. Married couple in their 80s, still living at home - list of ailments includes mobility probs, personality disorder, addiction and both have dementia.

Family can't engage with their care - they've reported the couple to SS for an urgent assessment.

How do the relations (one nephew, one equally sick SIL) tell SS that they can't be involved in the couple's care management and daily decisions/crises?

The DW still has capacity, a bit, but that will go.

If social services do an assessment of need for care and support, it should be carer blind - ie done on the assumption no care is provided by family and friends, to think what would happen to each of the couple.

As part of the assessment, social services should speak to family to ask if they are willing to provide care. The family have to say, consistently

“No!”

Nobody can be forced to care for adults in this country. If adults are incapable of meeting two of the outcomes, then legally their care needs are the responsibility of the welfare state (ie social services), subject to a financial assessment.

A capacity assessment should be done on both of the couple. There can be capacity to make some decisions, but not others; even if overall they don’t have full mental capacity to understand and make complex decisions.

See s2. on this link, for an example of the outcomes:

www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/health-and-social-care-rights/eligibility-for-social-care/#.XfAhpLqnyEc

Thanks a million.

In this case the family there is have already done their time - 25 years on the DH and 3 on the DW, not to mention their own needs and geography, neither of which make it possible. They'll already have to be POA x 4, and that's more than enough for anyone.

That sounds like an extremely complex and stressful situation for everyone Superskim, have you been able to get anywhere with social services?

We have, thanks, to everyone's delight. SS shot to the rescue within a week of the email.

Two carers coming in 2x a day to feed and wash DF am, put to bed pm. DM hired a carer herself who 'rang on the bell looking for work' but we'll see about that.

Bless Social Services. In the past week it transpires that DF is a touch incontinent, so it couldn't have come too soon.

that sounds good you must be very relieved!