What support does the local authority offer or should we look at equity release to fund private care?

[Chocolatestain]

I’m looking for some advice on the best way to go about getting some care for my mum. She’s 83 and has suffered from severe arthritis and fibromyalgia for many years. She now has heart failure and has gone downhill quite rapidly since Christmas. It’s got to the point where everyday household tasks are getting too much for her, although she is still able to manage her personal care. She can’t walk more than a few steps without support from a stroller and is relying heavily on help from local friends and neighbours at the moment.

An occupational therapist has been out to see her and has said she will look into getting Mum some help at home, but we haven’t heard anything yet and I have no idea how long the process takes or what she might be entitled to. She’s not a very pushy person and will wait to see what she’s offered rather than asking for anything specific (for example, she’s never asked for a disabled parking badge even though her arthritis will have meant she has been eligible for one for years and it would be a big help to her) so I’m a bit worried she might end up missing out on support she’s entitled to because we don’t know it exists. I’m happy to do the ‘pushing’ myself, but not sure who to speak to. I would be really grateful if anyone has any advice on the best course of action and also what we might realistically expect in terms of support.

The other option would be to do equity release to pay for private care. I know equity release is a pretty poor deal, but if it means she is able to spend her remaining months in greater comfort then imo it would be worth it. I’ve looked into a couple of private home care companies and it all looks great, but I don’t know if the reality matches up to the glossy brochures.

Any advice/opinions from anyone who knows more than I do about all this would be most welcome.

Ring Adult Social Services, (County Council).They can give you list of local agencies, talk through what help there may be, and do an assessment of your mother's needs. An assessment is not an actual plan, but it's not a bad place to start.
Also Age UK are v clued up on help and benefit entitlement.
Strongly advise you research as much as possible before comitting to a particular path, esp equity release.

First try to work out what your Mum needs: a housekeeper? Help with meals? Companionship? Help to get out and about?
Then, what's the best way of meeting those needs? Hired help once a day? Several times a day? Live-in carer?
Good luck.

With her permission you can contact her g.p and ask I'd they have referred her to the community elderly team or something similar. You can contact the community o.t and ask what help they can offer, would she benefit from adaptations around the home which the local authority will pay for, a downstairs loo, walking aids etc. What help does she want, can she manage meals or would deliveries be better that she an just heat up. She could do with a home assessment from the physiotherapist and nurse if her mobility and heart failure are causing her not to be able to manage, ask the g.p if she is under the community heart failure team. The arthritis and fibromyalgia association have a great website.financially she may have to pay for carers but she needs an assessment first.

What sort of accommodation is she living in, does she have easy access to all the rooms. A Careline might help if she falls or becomes unwell and a keysafe. Getting power of attorney ser up can help for paying Bill's, something things out for her.

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Your mum will be waiting a long time to be offered something, if you don't ask then you don't get. Google "blue badge application form", she may need help with that because if you do it online you need to be able to attach photos of documents and it depends how handy she is doing that.

Someone needs to contact the social services department of the county she lives in and ask for a needs assessment. It is their job, they know what services there are that would help people in your mum's situation. Paying for it comes after working out what she needs.

www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/paying-for-care/paying-for-homecare/

@Evidencebased, I'd have said the same. Adult Services at the Local Authority and Age UK.

Good luck Chocolatestain.

If the Social services do an assessment, they can offer equipment -eg grab rails, a "perching stool" for kitchen and/or bathroom, another stroller for upstairs so she doesn't have to struggle with one on the stairs - this will all be equipment on loan, and therefore free. They can offer carers to come in for 30mins up to 4 times a day. They'll ask for an income based contribution to this, but her house won't be taken into account for this assessment.

They won't provide just cleaning services or someone to do the shopping.

Or they may think she'd be better off in a care home - again, an income based contribution, this time including her house.

You can sort out getting a blue badge for her - it's on-line and requires photos attaching. But if you're going to try for Attendance Allowance and can afford to wait, it's easier to apply if you're getting attendance allowance.

You should also look into attendance allowance. Get help with filling in the form - Age UK for example. I had help from an ex=social worker friend. They know the right language to use, and also will prompt you on all the adaptations that have already been made which you forget about - eg that she doesn't carry the kettle from sink to plug but pushes it along the work surface because she can't lift it. From memory it's about £45 a week (and more if she needs attention at night). Useful to top up whatever other help she has, and it's not means tested. The only caveat is that if she goes into a care home and has any financial contribution from the Council, she will no longer be eligible for Attendance Allowance.

You may also be one of the 40% of LAs that still provide Meals on Wheels. My father's were very good, and it was one more person to keep an eye on him.

And get a key safe to put in a non-obvious place near the back door. Then carers, ambulances etc can let themselves in when required.

Thank you everyone, some really great advice here. I’ll speak to her local Adult Social Services team and Age UK tomorrow. I’ll be seeing her next week so if I can get a good idea of what help might be available I can hopefully help her work out what it is she really needs.

I’m not sure how happy she’d be with me speaking to her GP on her behalf as she likes to be in control of her own affairs and may feel I’m trying to take over, but she might be ok with me being present next time she speaks to him.

If she cannot manage to see her g.p then the nurse could come and see her, we run an early intervention team here with the g.p, nurse, therapists for exactly this sort of thing. She could write down questions she would like to ask. Have a look at benefits too, attendance allowance, possible disability benefits, blue badge, local transport schemes.

All good advice above
Get an assessment of needs

Please don't go down equity release route against her property to purchase in private care or pay for residential care- just no no no!!!

If she's financially entitled to LA funding for care, she'll get it, if she's not for a while so is self funding (or full cost with you asking LA to arrange the care), an equity release would cause delay (in fall to under threshold savings) to when she is entitled. And also it'd cost you far more £10thousands than they give you!!! you don't need to do this.

Look up the charging policies - all available in her (LA) local county council website in the adult social services sections

I’d avoid equity release if at all possible as the interest eats up the remaining capital very quickly. Definitely contact adult services.

Do not release equity, there is no expectation that if she is eligible for support that she would need to fund it herself in this way. She will have a financial assessment from social services and may have to contribute some depending on her income.

Have you applied for Attendance Allowance, that will top her income up.

Depending on your area you won't necessarily wait long at all for an assessment. I work for social services and 9/10 we contact you on the day you first call in (if you don't get us on the first go) and we tend to visit to assess within a week or so, unless it's breakdown urgent when we come out on the same day.

Thank you everyone. I’ve spoken to her local adult care team and Age UK. I was all set to pop over and fill out the Attendance Allowance form with her this week, but she was taken in to hospital on Friday so it’s all on hold. On the plus side she will get her health issues properly assessed as she didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with her GP.

Hospital Occupational therapist should assess any elderly patient with mobility issues, and liase with family about the home situation the patient will be discharged to. The one who saw my DF measured what height chair, commode, walker he needed, and asked the family to measure what was at home, so that any adaptations could be advised on.
I believe there are also Hospital Social workers, though I didn't meet one.
If these things don't happen, keep asking till they do.
Some elderly people big up how well they are doing at home, because, understandably, they so much want to get out of hospital.
I used to stand right at the head of DF's bed, where he couldn't see me, and roll my eyes or shake my head when he declared complete untruths, like, yes I can use the bath, or 'I have 24 hr care'. No you don't , Dad, you have a cleaner who'll shop for you twice a week.

Sorry if that's irrelevant, maybe your DM is more realistic.
But, talk to the staff, and if you don't get sensible progress, insist on waiting to see someone more senior.
A hospital admission can be a good opportunity for a 'reset', both medical and care. Don't take her home without this.