It’s taken me 13 months to get funding for my 97 year old mother.
The council wanted to move her to a cheaper home with inferior care and ponging of ransid urine.
I’ve been bullied, accused of salting away and spending my mother’s money for my own purposes ( intentional deprivation of capital, not true - I was on you and yours and you can listen if you wish) threatened, had fingers jabbed at me across the meeting table, been reduced to tears, and generally had the most stressful,distressing and unpleasant 13 months of my life!
Should you be experiencing the same thing, please, do not hesitate to contact me. I may be able to help.
Love
Louise
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Loubprv
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Hi Louise. Well done. Very well done. I had a fierce protracted battle with getting appropriate care for my sister. Supervisors were brought in to weight up their side. At one meeting I got my brother and sister to take day off and drive long distances to weigh up mine. I had to find so many reasons to contest their decisions. It was wearying. I realised that to get the right care -not luxury or fancy - took enermous fighting spirit. I felt they sat in their offices and also wriggled by being 'part time' plotting their end game while I was always on the back foot not knowing what was coming next. I got there in the end and I keep my sister focused on how lucky she is. Since we all think this it keeps her happy. The news last night was on failed PIP claims and the months waiting for appeals which mainly win. The system must be set up to attempt to deny as many as possible and only allow when claimants can 'fight'. It shouldn't be like this. Well done again. Mairead
Mum had a interview with the social worker in July ( I was present) and she ended up incredibly distressed and in tears thinking she was going to prison.
Adult social care used this to say as she had vascular dementia it didn’t really matter where she went because she wouldn’t know! Can you believe it?
I arranged another assessment in December, primed Mum first, and after 45 minutes of grilling from the social worker
“ and how would it make you feel emotionally Ada if you moved to another home?” ( this to a 97 year old with anxiety, vascular dementia and mobility issues)
To which mum said “ bloody annoyed”
I thought YES!
In the end she eyeballed this chap and said, “ if you’ve come to shift me, I’m not going”
I also had letters from gp and 2 consultants which helped enormously.
I wouldn’t mind but here in Cumbria the contract rate that the council will pay up to is £620. So if you have a pension of £130 they have to top you up by £490.
My mother has a private pension and a state pension which comes to £480.
The council offered her £140.
Which meant my father basically had paid into a private pension all his life to bailout the council coffers and not to keep mum in a nice place.
Her fees are £960.
Anyway, after I’d been on radio 4 you and yours twice they finally backed down.
It’s all about sticking at it and being as dogged as they are isn’t it?
Haven’t finished with them yet.......as I said I intend to go public with thIs if I can. Save as many people the misery that I went through.
I've got similar problems. I agree that Council officers think they have a duty to maximise Council coffers and don't see their 'duty of care' to the vulnerable. I think it is a scandal and there is no wonder people have little respect for social workers. I would love to be part of your crusade.
Hi Louise, its so good to hear you are taking on the establishment, I worked for the past 11 years as an advocate, both with individuals with mental health issues, and individuals who were deemed to lack capacity, and had a deprivation of liberty placed on them, and had no family or friends to fight for them, these were statutory roles, the local councils have to commission an advocacy provider to provide the advocates to carry out the work. There are also generic advocates who work with people with various issues, as this (generic advocacy) isn't a statutory requirement the councils have tended to not offer the service as much. Money yet again being the culprit. If anyone feels they need an advocate or know someone who does they can look up local advocacy services for help. Your mum is lucky she has you, I always fought hard for my clients, no one deserves to be in a care facility that is not clean, or understaffed, it should not have any odours, and be warm, bright welcoming, have appropriate staff etc etc. Funding is very difficult to get these days. and social services look to share with health where they can, sometimes CHC continuing health care kicks in with an individual this is where the needs of someone are primarily health, over social, then health pays for the care totally. Hope your Mum settles. well done. Take care.Marilynx
Hi Louise, I applaude you for this fight, it's awful, I know that me and my sister went through the same thing with our mum before she died, bless her. It is shocking and more shocking is the elderly people who don't have anyone to help them with this, or fight their corner, if our mum had been on her own goodness knows what would have happened to her or where she would have ended up. It is also worth contacting other agencies for help and advice, like SSAFA, Veterans Association, Red Cross. Maz x
Hi Louise. Well done you for fighting for your Mum.....you are the person to take up the cause, but it must be exhausting mentally and emotionally. I love the way Mum answered the question How would you feel about moving. Fabulous.......you I think have obviously inherited her spirit !!
I know you looked after Mum for a long time, until it became too much.
I hope sincerely you get some good resolution to this, so Mum can feel happy in the place she has got used to.
Thanks! I have a letter to say the horrible council will fork out, but we need to provide more proof that mum’s money is all gone. How much proof do they need?
You go louise, if only more people had the strengh to do what you are fighting for,sadly people are just ground down to stop them fighting for what we believe is right. It's amazing what the council consider 'social care' in todays society. This is were i become politically incorrect and frankly don't give a 'monkey's uncle'; where i live their are 4 nearby hostels,when i say nearby i mean on my Door step! 1 of those is a 'so called' rehabilitatation drug hostel to help drug users back into supported living. When i've passed there, i've since residents openly smoking drugs out of the window,urine filled bottles thrown from the windows onto the pavement and all manner of things going on there. It is council funded and is called ironically, TLC. The irony of it all? I remember that iconic building from when i was knee high to a grasshopper,myself and younger brothers at the time called it the 'suck factory', suck being 'black country dialect for sweet' my dad's mom worked in there until she was 75! No kidding. It was owned by the famous sela family who you still see today on packets of cough sweets. The ironic thing is i ended living on this street when it was still a sweet factory and i could weep sometimes remembering my nan working there until 75. The point of all this some people might ask? Where is the fairness when it comes to people who have paid into the system all their lives? Who just want to know they will be cared for in ill-health or when they can longer look after themselves. Don't get me wrong i'm all for rehabilitation but what about the local Councils prioritise those that paid all their lives and back in their day thought drugs were something you got off your doctor,not something you got a 'quick buzz' from'! So i applaud your fight louise and you are like me,a tough cookie who fights for what we believe is right. I'm sure you will get a lot of support. Wishing you and all others in the same situation my good wishes.tina🤗
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