Can social worker insist on move downstairs?

[Ouchlikeholly]

My dad's in hospital following a fall. My mum's just had a phone call from the social worker saying that he has to move downstairs on discharge due to his very limited mobility. Can they insist on this?
Neither of my parents are keen on the idea. They have a large sunny bedroom upstairs with views. The room downstairs is much smaller, darker and no view. I'm also not sure if they're expecting my elderly mum to run up and down the stairs in the night because I'm not sure how we'd fit a bed big enough for them both in there.
Has anyone got any advice? Thanks

Stair lift?

I wouldn't think they can insist on what you do in your own home, but I don't have any experience and so I don't know for definite. Hopefully someone who knows will come along

They can't enforce it, but maybe it could work for a little while

Thanks both. He has a stair lift but they're saying his mobility is too poor for that to be an option. If he's going to have to stay in one room though I know he'd be happier in the more pleasant one.

They may want to discharge with a hospital bed. Which needs access each side for carers.

Mum would sleep upstairs in her own bed.

Ex hospital social worker here. No they can't insist. They can recommend, but it is much safer and can facilitate a hospital bed if needed.

Are they worried he'll fall trying to get to the stairlift ? If it's explained to him that he has to stay in the one room due to mobility would he understand ?

They can put a hospital bed upstairs if that's what's needed

Thanks for all the replies. There hasn't been any mention of a hospital bed. He wouldn't try to use the stair lift.

But the issue isn’t just where he will spend his days (with limited mobility, I’m going to assume he is going to spend a lot of his time in bed, at least to start with).

Its also what is going to happen if he needs help during the night. Do they expect his dwife to go up and down the stairs at night to care for him? Will be need a lot if help during the night? What about the bathroom (assuming the loo downstairs is big enough to him to use on his own)?

Plenty to have a look at imo.

@Ouchlikeholly can you have the input of an OT before hand?

Do they even realise he has a stair lift? We had similar with my grandad recently and they hadn't realised

How would he get upstairs if he wouldn’t use the stairs lift?

Is that why they have said it? Has he said something about not using the stair lifts?

You should have the input from an OT before he comes home to see if there are any adaptations that need to be made.
Social workers can't enforce your dad to stay downstairs only give recommendations.

Have they mentioned getting carers into help at all?

Bed downstairs is often suggested to avoid the person having to do the stairs and family life is generally centred on downstairs.

If you have a sensible argument that in your dad's case a bed upstairs (they are almost certainly meaning a hospital bed) with him never going downstairs is a better solution, everyone will be happy with that.

DGM had a hospital bed installed upstairs (there was no DGF to consider at that point) as it was a far nicer room and there is no way she would have accepted living downstairs.

The family organised it themselves and paid extra for delivery and installation upstairs. (They also had a stairlift installed at an earlier point - which became unused relatively quickly).

In her case, the only bathroom downstairs was down 2 large steps into the garage, to a toilet with wind rushing under the door.

Upstairs, there was a toilet, and a bathroom next to it with bath, separate shower, and sink, and all on the same level. And there was a sink in DGMs room when her mobility reduced further.

It depends what will work in the individual circumstances your family has - is there somewhere else for DM to sleep if a hospital bed is needed for DF? Is the person who will be doing caring duties able to run up and down stairs as needed (both during the day when they might spend a lot of time together, and during the night when in separate rooms)?

Are there ways to make the upstairs more "living" space - kettle, mini-fridge, handful of cups and plates, tv, comfortable chair(s) etc? Where both can sit and enjoy their time? And also leaving enough space for any extra equipment needed either now or into the future (hoist, commode, etc). (Things like kettle, fridge etc don't need to be in the same room as DF, but if there is somewhere they can be put out of the way but on the same floor so there is less need to be up and down stairs a lot during the day/night, especially of DM is of a similar age to reduce potential for slips and falls, that is what I am thinking about).

If you can show you have thought it through, that will definitely help your argument as to why it is not suitable for DF to be downstairs. It might mean not having guest bedrooms anymore, or making downstairs space into guest room and upstairs space into the living space on a "temporary" basis (not temporary as in a few weeks - for as long as it's needed for DF, but can be converted back to its current normal when no longer needed in the future).

If he has mental capacity he can do what he likes just like everyone else. If he doesn't have mental capacity then any decisions by anyone have to be in his best interests.

One level living, or one room living is often necessary when a person’s mobility is poor.

Doesn’t have to be downstairs but it may be harder on your mum to bring all meals/drinks from downstairs to upstairs. Also any hospital appointments will be more difficult. But in some situations eg end of life this would be less important.

So much depends on circumstance and whether he is likely to make any improvement ….not an easy choice.

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, he would need assistance at night because he has prostate cancer and needs to urinate frequently. They have mentioned carers but that wouldn't help the night situation. My mum would obviously rather do the stairs in the day!

I will ask about the OT.

He hasn't said anything about not using the stair lift. I meant he wouldn't take any risks. However, my parents live in a long narrow house so unfortunately there's quite a walk down the corridor to the stair lift and I don't think he could manage that. I think his mobility is at the stage where he'll be pretty much confined to one room.

Thanks again. I'll have to leave this now until this evening.

The awful social workers my friend dealt with wouldn't let his mum be released from hospital without a bed downstairs even though he didn't want it, (most importantly) she didn't want it and the room wasn't suitable.

My mum briefly went in a care home as she kept falling. She was told the same thing in hospital and in the home but since she's been home (her home) she's been sleeping upstairs

There will be a fire risk element to this. Can he get out/be gotten out safely in an emergency?

If he has capacity then no one can force him to do anything. If he's determined to be upstairs then would he manage for a while with a commode in the bedroom?

I'm sorry, this sounds hard to manage for all of you.

We had my grandad at home until he needed to go into hospital due to an infection, he had end stage Bowl and liver cancer

My mum said no to a bed downstairs so he had a hospital bed upstairs, actually we did the same with my nana 4 years ago. They can't force you to move him downstairs.

When his mobility got really bad the ambulance crew helped him to the stair lift then upstairs to bed , that was after his first infection ment he had to go into hospital .

I would ask to speak to OT

We were asked to move a bed downstairs for my dad to sleep in when he was discharged from hospital. Whilst they didn't insist they did say that it would be better for him as he keeps falling due to Parkinson's (and my parents had refused to have a stairlift fitted).

My mum sleeps upstairs until she hears him wake in the early hours and then joins him in the downstairs double bed.