Happy Belated Easter everyone from Sue in New Zealand
Can I ask a question? Does anyone know anything about how a hospital discharge works My lovely Mum is in hospital following 2 falls with a variety of complaints including newly diagnosed COPD, a broken shoulder and cellulitis . Do you know whether they should offer my Mum a choice of place to go. I don't want her to go to any place that is rated as inadequate ; I am flying back to England to help out.
Hope your weather is good and I would love any ideas or advice you may have Every good wish Susan
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suebelle
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Hi suebelle My Father was in a situation where he needed nursing care after his last stay in hospital (Too Many problems to list) I had a similar situation to you as I was in Saudi Arabia at the time but was fortunate that one of my sisters was able to do the needed checking.
We found that we were able to make the choice of where he went but it was not quite so straight forward. First we had to check out the nursing homes and find a few that would be suitable with good write ups and feedback. Then we had to approach each to see if there was a place available that could provide the required nursing care. We were able to place him in one that was deemed to fit the needs but later had to move him as he was not happy there and the care was not really up to the required standard given his specific needs. We have been fortunate to get him into a much better place.
A lot also depends on the local authorities as you may need to get it paid for by them and they can be a bit difficult to deal with at times. I notice the level of savings allowed has just or is due shortly to be upped to 40,000 GBP before a contribution is needed from the person themselves.
One other suggestion is regarding how you want to deal with the doctors and banks and other such things. I am in a difficult position as we did not put a Power of Attorney in place before his dementia took over so we now have to go to court to allow us to have a say in any medical or financial matters on his behalf, this is going to cost us around 2,000GBP. If your mother is in a good place mentally it might be a conversation you should have with her to save issues later on.
Hope this has given a little information you can use and that things work out well for you and your mother.
Thank you so very much Andy for that very generous share; I am so so grateful; you have given me huge confidence and courage ; I can do everything you suggest. Itis wonderful to hear that your Dad is in a very good place. Thank you so much and every good wish for now
I had to find care for both my elderly parents, and I was only 250 miles away, so I can understand in part what you are facing.
If you look at the Age UK website, there is a lot of information there. The social worker at the hospital will be of help too.
You can also find either nursing or care homes in your mothers area on the web too, just to give you an idea of what is available.
The hospital nursing staff together with the social worker will advise on what option is the best, together with your mothers wishes. My father needed nursing care, paid for by the NHS, but we had to pay for his social care and third party top up fees. My mother managed most of the time with carers at home.
My father was too poorly to make a choice of home, but my mother was capable.
I didn't have power of attorney over my father's affairs at first, so that had to be dealt with....it's much easier and cheaper to arrange that while you can. You can find details of that on line too.
Thank you so very much for your encouraging words ; I will look at the age Uk website immediately tomorrow ( it is night time here) and start printing out stuff before I travel to England; it is so wonderful to have your support a thousand thank yous
Hi been there with my mum. First there are 2 things to to consider. If your mum needs a nursing home rather than just a care home, the NHS will pick up all the costs. This is because she needs ongoing medical treatment. She might only need this for a short time or it could be longer term.
If not then she would go into a care home. If she is self funding then that is no problem and all you need to do is find one with spaces you are happy with.
If however she needs funding then there will be several meetings with social services who will determine if she qualifies. They use a points basis. When my mother was given it she had 3 high needs, 3 medium, and 3 low. She would lose most of her pension too.
Then once you have approval all you have to do is find a home you are happy with. Where I live there are quite a few care homes and me and my sisters traversed them all turning down ones that smelled like wee etc. We found her a good one and she was happy enough there.
Another thing to remember is that this can take a while and meanwhile don't let them discharge your mother from the hospital without the care package in place. They will probably also try to send her to a community hospital to free up bed space. If you are happy with this then fine but if not make them promise to let you know if they need to move her.
Thanks so much Hypercat54; what a great reply. I will do everything you suggest, Hypercat54 and I am so so grateful; thanks so much; I am really inspired by your email best wishes susan
You are very welcome Suebelle. One thing to note is this was in 2011 but I shouldn't think things have changed for the better!
When she first went to hospital after a fall at home they tried to discharge her without any discussion or a care package in place. We put a quick stop to this as we were in the middle of getting her assessed by social social services to get funding for her.
When she was in hospital a 2nd time they tried to transfer her to a community hospital which was too difficult for us to get to without transport. My youngest sister who is very articulate stopped that nonsense straightaway.
We learnt from my dad whom they transferred twice to community hospitals who promptly sent him back coz he was too ill. I am sure all this contributed to his death. x
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xx
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