Support for Mentally Handicapped in Kent

[KentCarer74]

Hi there

First post on here as we are hitting a brick wall regarding caring support for our severely mentally handicapped Uncle, who is cared for at home by my in-laws and is now 70 yrs old.

Post COVID, and due to his age, all of his "away from home" center activities have either been shut down or closed off to him due to age. He is looked after by my in-laws but as they are now in their late 70s this is getting harder and harder.

Is anyone aware of support services/support options in the Kent/Medway area? For example, access to nurses who could come into the home a couple of days a week to help morning washing/getting dressed to give my in laws some rest bite? Also, is anyone aware of centres for the mentally handicapped that exist anymore in the local area? We are at a loss to find any for someone 70 yrs old.

Seems due to his age and the current cuts to social support, there are zero rest bite options for someone of that age, physical fragility and with his mental handicap.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[LazyXrayEyes2255]

Please contact social worker at Local Council and they will be able to setup help, disability help is available and you just need to ask for it

[DrSarahmac]

Hi, contact your council’s Adult Social Services. They will provide support. There is funding but the help doesn’t come to you I’m afraid. You have to seek it out. It sounds like your uncle and his elderly carers need support now before someone is ill and they all end up in crisis. Also try contacting Care for the Carers. They’re a national charity that support carers in many ways including helping them to navigate the benefits and social services systems. Don’t delay. The help is there. Your in laws need it. Let us know how you get on. All the best.

[Balamorym]

Yes your inlaws need to contact social services, also contact Help the Aged and Citizens Advice to do a benefits check both for your uncle and in laws. They should ask about supported accommodation too. Your inlaws won't be able to look after him forever.

[KentCarer74]

Thanks for all the replies. Very much appreciated. We will reach out to the organisations listed.

Pre Covid there were specific activities and options for my Uncle away from the house and rest bite at facilities for periods of time to let my inlaws go away on holiday/take time out.

Post Covid and due to my Uncles age now ( 70yrs old) and his fragility, these are now closed off for him. Centres seem more orientated for outdoor activities ( farms ) not really befitting an OAP. RestBite is not really setup for fragile OAPs, and there is a worry he may have a fall/get injured there. Caring for him with an injury picked up at RestBite would make things even worse. Its not worth the risk unless they provide specialist OAP care.

All very sad and a massive strain on my inlaws from a mental health/physical perspective given their age.

[Chocolate-heals-all]

Hi Kent Carer!

It might be a matter of finding a good agency who would create a care plan and provide respite care as needed.

You or your relatives would need to think whether your uncle is a self-funder or whether he is entitled to the means-tested support from the council. If he’s a self-funder - or even if the council are providing the funds - then it’s a matter of finding a good agency. One can visit the Care Quality Commission web site and read the reports on agencies that provide care for elderly people who have complex support needs or for adults who have learning disabilities and complex support needs.

If he doesn’t have the money to pay for care, if he has less than £23k in savings and is on a low income, the local authority should provide direct payments which can be paid to an agency. But. But. The local authority are glacially slow at intervening and putting care in place. There is an act of Parliament you can quote (link is at the foot of this message), and you or your in-laws can contact local social services, ring or email the duty social worker, say there is a vulnerable adult who is at risk because nobody knows whether his carers might get ill tomorrow! Social services have to do a care plan by law, in those circumstances, and they have to do a carer assessment for your in-laws too, to assess their needs. The consequence of that assessment should be the awarding of direct payments to cover the cost of the care needs described in the care plan. Your in-laws should say “we can’t go on any more” because otherwise the social worker will say “everything’s fine! He’s getting the care he needs”.

I don’t know of agencies near Medway, but I did a quick search on Google using key-words “care agency Medway” and found that your local authority has guides re local agencies including one called Bees Care Agency. Before choosing an agency, check out the reviews, especially the bad ones! And check the CQC inspection reports.

Also check who has decision-making powers for your uncle. Would you or another next-generation family member be willing to hold deputyship, or can your uncle give power of attorney for decisions on health and welfare, or has this matter already been put on record? It’s important to work out who makes the decisions and to try to get consensus within the family. My learning-disabled son gave his sister power of attorney: he doesn’t have a lot of insight, but he has enough insight and understanding to be able to say that he trusts her over anyone else in the world, to make a decision about him if he can’t do so himself.

To get the local authority to provide direct payments or support in kind, it’s the 2014 Care Act.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/20...