DF being discharged from hospital & needs carers

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Hi - my 88 DF is supposed to be shortly released from hospital after 9 weeks but advised will need 2 carers 4 times a day. Think this will be indefinite as he is effectively bed bound.
Hospital is supposed to be arranging but I understand it may take a while. He lives with my 86 DM who can look after herself but cant really help him other than feeding!
How do finances work as I was told this is funded for 6 weeks & then they will need to pay as have above savings threshold. Is this correct? Will they need to pay for all nursing & social care? As my DM lives there aswell will they need to sell house when run out of funds?
Any help appreciated as seems very complicated & not too sure who to speak to. Thanks!

It might be worth talking to these people

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

I too found AGEUK amazingly helpful . They provide leaflets as well as telephone advice, they were really kind and caring. It is great to get help from people who have had experience like yours, but legislation changes so quickly. AGEUK will have the latest advice.

I would also ask about Attendance Allowance and whether you can claim nursing needs allowance.

There should be a hospital SW or home care company involved. Do not allow him to be discharged until a full assessment has been completed and care plan put in place. Do not commit to taking on responsibility for arranging carers or to do care yourself.

Do not let him say " my daughter will help" or "my wife can look after me" either.

Insist on an assessment. If you think there are adaptations needed in the home before he gets there - commode/frame for the toilet/walker - insist that someone comes out before he is released from hospital.

Hi OP,
Be totally hardline about the care that must be in place before he comes home - often this goes against the grain but your strongest negotiating position will be while your DF is in hospital not at home. Push for adequate length of carer visits, e.g. to bath him. push back when they want to make short cuts e.g. they can have a flannel wash and not a bath, ask they whether they would be happy for that level of care for them or their parents. Make sure all the equipment, hoists, commodes etc. are in place - you should be able to get an Occupational Therapist to visit to ensure work is done before he comes home.

My experience with one relative was a few days after discharge they persuaded their elderly partner to drop the lunchtime visit so tell your mum not to agree to cutting visits, at least not without your involvement.

I’m not an expert with all the the benefits but I did complete the forms for Attendance Allowance. I also believe they may benefit from. Council Tax discount if you can argue they need extra space, e.g a bedroom for your dad.

My MIL has great carers that she considers friends, but we arranged them privately - the LA pushed back initially and she has to pay a bit more herself than to use their carers. Another relative had very poor carers and their next of kin had to install a Ring doorbell to monitor the length of the visits. On the financial side, they will go through everything with a fine tooth comb, when my MIL went below the savings limit her LA kept checking things like the buggy insurance from a year previous etc. - hardly deprivation of assets.

Keep notes of who you speak to, full name and job title and what is agreed and any review dates, e.g length of visits, how many visits per day, what the carers will do etc. and the fact there will be no financial contribution from your DF for the first six weeks.

I don’t think they can force them to sell the house but get expert advice.

Also, I believe your mum will be entitled to a carers assessment so her needs are properly considered.

Good luck and sorry to sound so combative, I have had some very challenging conversations with people who should know better (not the carers who have been very caring and skilled).

Do you have Lasting Power of Attorney?

Some great advice from LadyLapsang. I had the care of two elderly relatives. I too always advise people to get a big notebook to log every conversation. You will be surprised how many times you repeat the same information. Even to the same department.

Note the date, the time, who you spoke with and what was agreed. This seems like a lot of faff, but is very effective when you can quote these details back to them. It is not that people are being deliberately obstructive, but they have a huge workload.

You have to put on your Hard hat and combats, because you will be the only advocate for your vulnerable parents.

Another good tip is to place in a prominent place, all of your parents details. DoB, DoM, medications, doctors address and NHS numbers. Again this is something you will be asked for again. Put a copy of the details at your parents home to assist any visitors.

How do finances work as I was told this is funded for 6 weeks & then they will need to pay as have above savings threshold. Is this correct? Will they need to pay for all nursing & social care? As my DM lives there aswell will they need to sell house when run out of funds? Assuming you’re in England - No, they will not be able to sell the house, the value of the house is not included in the calculation as long your mother is living in it.

They will only include half of any savings in joint accounts (once the calculation is made, move DM’s half into a separate account in her name, there have been instances of LAs continuing to count half the account even when one person’s half has entirely disappeared into care fees)

They won’t need to pay for GPs and District Nurses.

otherwise, they will need to contribute up to the full cost of care, until your father’s savings are down to £23k.

Make it clear to them before he is discharged that there are no family available to help. Put this in writing by email and ask for acknowledgment so you have named people to come back to.

And actually, they don’t include the value of the house while he’s living with it. It’s only if he goes into a care home that the house value comes into the equation, and only if there isn’t a spouse still living in it.

So at the moment, while he’s at home it’s only his savings they’ll be looking at.

if you’re confident he has enough savings (£000s) to never run out, you don’t have to have a financial assessment, you just accept he’s self funding. It’s a bit less admin at a difficult time.

I agree with others to seek advice from Age UK. It can get very complicated and due to shortages in the system its very easy to inadvertently agree to stuff that disadvantages you and also your DF.

Hospital or a social woker should arrange for 6 weeks care and then parents will need to pay. Carers after the 6 week May be cheaper if arranged for you by the local authority as they will have contracts with the companies. Private care coMpanies, including the one that may be allocated for the initial 6 weeks, would possibly cost more but your family would have a direct contract with them and so that will put you in a stringer position to out in place what they might need.

Many thanks for helpful comments