My dad fell from a ladder last summer and suffered a double brain bleed; he was put in an induced coma for two weeks and started to recover slowly. He was discharged from the hospital after two months, which we believe was too quick.
Although he could perform basic tasks like talking, washing, eating, and using the bathroom, he was quiet and had symptoms similar to Hypoactive delirium. A few weeks later, his condition worsened rapidly, and it was discovered that he had fluid on the brain and normal pressure hydrocephalus. A shunt was installed to alleviate the condition. He also has difficulty controlling his sodium levels with hyponatremia. Currently, since November, he has been bedbound in the hospital, speaking very little and sleeping a lot. He has good and bad days.
He has good long-term memory and knows who we are, but no short-term memory. He doesn't realize how long he has been in the hospital and doesn't remember seeing us yesterday. He becomes confused and sometimes thinks it is 30 years ago. He is not upset or angry, nor does he inquire about when he will leave or what is wrong with him. He does sometimes remember falling from a ladder.
He has just been rejected for the Nuro rehab unit - we suspect this is due to his age of 72. However, before the accident, he was still working, going to the gym, very active and had various holidays booked. He might have been 72 but was more like 60.
We think it's only a matter of time before they try to discharge him, and they were already talking to us about putting a bed in the living room, which is impractical.
We have no prior experience with social services. My dad owns half of his house and has no personal savings. Since COVID, we have been living with my parents.
Our plan was to convert the garage with an ensuite, at least he could be at home in bed watching TV, eating home cooked food, and see friends and not be in a care home. We are talking to builders - but going to take 2-3 months to do.
What I am trying to understand is what support we will receive and the risk that social services may try to put him in a care home and claim half of the house to cover costs.
He had a will but, at the time, had no idea about power of attorney, so we don’t have it. We are getting my Mum now, as well as looking into the court of protection for my Dad, but we understand this could take a long time.
When he was first discharged, no assessment was conducted to determine if it was safe for him to return home.
We were told that someone from the local Neuro support team would visit in a week, including occupational therapy and physiotherapy, but no one came for over 12 weeks. When someone finally did come, they advised us to take him directly to the A&E. The local GP stated that it was too complex a case and, if concerned, we should take him to A&E as there was not much she could do.
He requires assistance with bathing, dressing, managing incontinence, transferring from bed to chair using a hoist, and someone to assist with physiotherapy or other therapies to see if he can improve.
Has anyone else gone through a similar situation and can offer any advice on how to make sure we get the best support from the NHS and Social Services?
Many thanks