Can we get community nursing free for my Dad?

[maltesers]

To put it briefly my Dad is 82 and has heart failure, so breathless on exertion. He got very very short of breath this last Tues and we called for an ambulance.He was admitted onto a medical ward in hospital. It seems he is on the mend and getting better.
I am meant to be going away on a ski holiday tomorrow. My Sister has come down from London (85 miles) and here to help and support my mum. My DD of 20yrs is also around to help (at times).

Can we organise for a community nurse to visit them every day on his discharge from hospital ?

I feel in many ways i should stay and not go on holiday as its normally me who looks after my parents as i live nearby . Surely my sister can stay a few more days past Sunday and my DD can help out ?? I am so looking forward to going and already paid for it. Dont know what to do...

To add to this i have a 10 yr old son , so have immediate responsiblities apart from elderley parents.
Also my Mum is getting very forgetful and at times very confused (senile dementia?) Emotionally she is weak and cant cope on her own very well.

Is there a medical need for a community nurse or is it personal care he requires? If he needs a community nurse then the hospital should arrange that. If it's social care he needs then you can ask ss for an assessment?

I wouldn't have high expectations at this stage. I'm almost certain that there's an assessment process before care is allocated. But then on the other hand, I would have thought that the hospital have to ensure that appropriate provision is in place before they can discharge someone. Don't think it would be unreasonable to suggest that your sis does a longer stint, assuming she doesn't have more pressing responsibilities.

I wouldn't have high expectations at this stage. I'm almost certain that there's an assessment process before care is allocated. But then on the other hand, I would have thought that the hospital have to ensure that appropriate provision is in place before they can discharge someone. Don't think it would be unreasonable to suggest that your sis does a longer stint, assuming she doesn't have more pressing responsibilities.

My mother is getting very forgetful and confused and emotionally is totally inept so a nurse to visit would be good. I hope they will assess the situation before he is discharged. My sis and i today are hoping to speak to their own private doctor or the doc at the hospital.

If he has some medical/clinical needs then the hospital will refer his case to the district nurses and they will attend his medical needs at home (such as wounds and administering certain meds).

If he has social/personal needs then he wont get a nurse but may be entitled to visits from a carer to help with things like washing and dressing but this will only follow after an assessment of his needs and, unfortunately, his money. If he has too much he will be expected to pay for home help for personal care.

There may be ss based in the hospital or an occupational therapist attached to the ward who will be responsible for assessing how people will manage at home prior to discharge, and organising appropriate equipment or services.

Make sure you ask for a proper assessment for him and don't be fobbed off.

As for care being free - I think this will probably depend on a financial assessment and be means tested if you are in England. In Scotland it is free for over 65's if it is help with personal care.

It would be free if provided through NHS but as someone already said this would have to be for some sort of medical need, rather than him needing help with his personal care.

Main point is to make sure you explain the situation to the doc and ask for your dad to be assessed. Hope it all goes OK.

As others have said ,community nurses attend to wounds etc ,they wouldn't offer a background/checking/supportive role .
My mother was for the last 2 or 3 years extremely breathless on exertion ,some days all she could do was lie on the sofa .( she has congestive heart failure ).
Despite home visit from GP who offered a ventolin inhaler ( to be fair ,mother had ? chest infection at time ) and me asking for a follow up - it was only 18 long months later when a fracture saw her in hospital that we began the long road ( which initially saw all diuertics withdrawn because of low sodium levels and her close to death as a result ) to the rocket science /Damascene moment when a geriatrician trebled what had been her original diuertic dose .
My point is - don't be like me and think that a decline in health is inevitable and that GP's /doctors have got it right .
Push for a review of her medication ,push for a referral to a geriatrician or at the very least that the GP visits and checks him properly and THINKS ABOUT WHETHER HE'S STILL ON CORRECT MEDICATION AND DOSES .
Because IME they dont ,not even checking whether drugs clash .
But I don't think you'll gain much from not going on holiday ,you may as well .

Sorry - re holiday ,don't know how to put this ,and it's only my experience with my mum ,who is a strong person ,congestive heart failure ( and she does have other heart problems and has had a TIA )tends to have a long and slow effect ,he's unlikely ( I think ) to get dramatically worse in a couple of weeks and it sounds like he has a fair amount of support .

Call local social device dept. The duty worker can advise but any support will be means tested. Alternatively if you think they will be maximum contribution just go straight to a care agency to sort something out to tide them over.
If he has severe enough medicL condition then je may be eligible for continuing health care funding but this takes a few weeks or more to assess.

Sounds like a vey poorly planned hospital discharge to be honest and I would advise contacting Pals- although if he, or family told the hospital that they can manage then it's not really the hospitals fault

You need to make sure his ward nurse knows he's vulnerable at home and that he needs a carer to support him on discharge. This is very normal for elderly folk and lasts about 6wks, in which time he will be re assessed. At that point if more support is needed then he will be assessed financially to see what he should pay. They would assess your mum in this too, as part of the household.

This is what happened with my grandparents anyway, in their area. My gran was fiercely independent but we insisted on the 6wk care plan with carers twice a day to make sure she was up and dressed and was ok making her meals. They didn't really do anything other than that. Further down the line they helped her shower, and ran errands for her. The district nurse came regularly as well for dressings etc.

Thanks guys for your thoughts and advice.
His doc says he can apply for DLA and he can get a Helper in each week. My Mum is totally hopeless, emotionally and physically and cant remember anything .

Does the doc mean attendance allowance ?
That's usually the benefit elderly people claim .
Anyway ,get the application in - it'll take a while to come through but will be backdated to when you applied .
And if he's unsuccesful ,appeal .

Yes ,sorry its called Attendance allowance. Thank you guys for your help. Dad has been told he is now entitled to this and will apply for this.

My Dad will fill in his own form for this, he is fiercely independent and his marbles are all there.

docs at hosp should arrange an assesment before discharge,then care will be put in place for coming home,does not always run smothly so get some one to be the fighter if needed.