Does anyone know ...?

[Vonnie10]

My cousin who as motor neurons and is going into nursing home wlll he lose is benefits pip esa and what ever else he claims for ? im not sure how it works I told him I think he may have to, he as no saving or own a property. He was so annoyed at me today when I visited him I feel.like I've upset him but I never meant to offend him 24 nursing care would cost a lot. Maybe he'll be able to keep some but not all. Some people have to sell homes to fund care. I'd like to tell him some good news if there is any.

[AgedCrone]

You need to speak to the care worker who is planning his move to the care home.

An assessment will be made of his assets/income & the council will then decide how much they will pay towards the accommodation.

One thing you need to know is that you can choose a home near his family….this should be mentioned at the beginning of the assessment…or he could be moved miles away.

I do hope everything goes smoothly for him.

[KittyJ]

this might help

turn2us.org.uk/get-support/...

[Stayloose]

I imagine his frustration is not with you but about his disease and moving to a new and largely unknown situation. That's a lot of loss. Take care of yourself as you try and help him.

[Celticdancer]

Keep on eye on him as many of these care homes are not good especially the bigger care homes that are more than 25 beds. They give substandard care as they don`t have the staff or resources to look after their residents properly. He needs a smaller care home that doesn`t have too many residents. Also let`s pray he`s not put onto a dementia ward if there`s no space for him on nursing as the social worker will put him wherever they have a space and sometimes that`s not always in a suitable place. The dementia wards have residents with very challenging behaviour and make life hell for staff and other residents.

I`ve worked in care for over 20 years and have seen horrible things and worked in some horrible care homes in that time as I done alot of agency work. So much abuse goes on. The health and social care industry is now on it`s knees and I`ve seen it first hand. Be an advocate for him if he has nobody else as social workers don`t care as they put people wherever they can find a place for them regardless of how suitable it is as they have too much work and not enough time or staff. Care homes are businesses now and are about making profits not caring for people. Some of the filthiest and ill maintained, ill managed places I`ve ever worked or entered have been care homes. There are some good ones out there but you have to look for them and pray you find them.

Don`t be duped by the nice flowers in the vase in the nicely decorated reception area of the care home, go further back and ask to see the sluice room, kitchen, bathrooms and linen cupboards etc. If the sluice room (where dirty pads and soiled clothes are dealt with) smells of sewage you know it`s a bad care home. Also many of the larger care homes will use towels, blankets, duvet covers as bottom sheets when the linen cupboard runs very low as they have nothing else to use as sheets. I`ve seen maggots in care homes, bathrooms mops being used to mop the dining room etc. Ask about the cleaning schedule and how often rooms are cleaned etc.

CQC don`t give a damn as they`re very corrupt and as long as the paper work is done that`s all they care about. I`ve been told that disgraced care home managers who managed care homes that had avoidable deaths became CQC inspectors. Also I was told by a Health and Safety Consultant who inspects care homes that they are some of the worst places he`s ever inspected because when he submitted his report detailing the breaches in health and safety of the care home they were always ignored by CQC and the care company. Massive care companies like Four Seasons, Helen McArdle etc have beautiful offices for their senior managers but very bad pay and working conditions for staff, very poor food and living conditions for residents as they rake in money. If you speak to someone who says glowing things about these care homes you can guarantee they are a care home manager or related to one as they will cover up the abuse that goes on.

Anyone has any questions about care homes or the care industry I`m very happy to answer as I want people to really know what goes on.

[AgedCrone in reply to Celticdancer]

Agree with you 100%

[Amnesiac3637 in reply to Celticdancer]

Bloody hell, that makes me so depressed! What have we come to when our relatives and friends are subjected to abuse and such abysmal care in some of these bed factories. Our society is in many ways corrupt and broken and we should rise up in disgust at the conditions that have been created by grasping, greedy profiteers.

As a retired nurse I have seen and am well aware of poor conditions in social care but there’ll be many reading your description of what goes on who will be very glad of what to investigate and look out for if they need to use a care home, so thank you for your detailed answer to Vonnie10.

[Vonnie10 in reply to Amnesiac3637]

I hope and prey standard are high and staff are compassionate have good moral compass this is all it take and if your aren't caring you definetly shouldn't be in the job. I also worked agency and nursing homes 30.years ago before I joined nhs I would think things have improved its sad that we are even discussing this I understand the qcq is rigged.

He can't expect to keep all the benefits if my nhusband or i were unfortunate enough to go in nursing care we would have to sell our home pay towards our care I think he will be in for a shock it would be classed as income I would think but I do t know how it works.

[Celticdancer in reply to Amnesiac3637]

I`m glad to be of service. I know that people don`t know me and I don`t have any photos, videos etc to show you as I no longer work in care but unfortunately everything I have mentioned I have experienced and seen with my own eyes. I feel so ashamed of what I`ve witnessed and I tried my very best to give a good standard of care with the resources that were available to me which wasn`t much. Many other carers experienced the same and if you watch panorama type documentaries on health and social care you will find similar reports. Majority of the carers I worked with were caring and genuinely tried their best but on average I was working 48-60 hour weeks and exhausted. You can only do so much. On several occasions I looked after 26 residents with severe dementia and challenging behaviour on my own on a nightshift as the other carer had phoned in sick and they couldn`t get an agency carer to cover. The nurse covered 2 floors so was in charge of 50 residents and couldn`t help me much. It was chaos. Many carers and nurses go on the sick with exhaustion.

[Vonnie10 in reply to Celticdancer]

I would cause murder if i witness any abuse I'd likely abuse the abuser shocking! I witness one major incident and he was swiftly dealt with. I can't tolerate substandard care. Must have been awful for you i know how hard dementia can be.

[Celticdancer in reply to Vonnie10]

I never seen any direct cases of abuse like physical or sexual but it was more institutional abuse and neglect due to lack of staff, resources and money. I did report things on to management when needed but they never cared. I asked managers to buy more linen, toiletries etc for the residents but they didn`t care. We often had to use the same shampoo, bath gel etc for all the residents which was kept in the bathrooms because whenever families or staff bought new toiletries for residents it would disappear within a day. We often had to use clothes and underwear for different residents so often what would happen is all of a resident`s clothes including underwear would be in the wash as they didn`t have many clothes as they often disappear so you had to borrow clothes including underwear from another resident then in turn they would run short on clothes. It was neverending. Even some carers would buy or bring in (they had some clothes they needed to get rid of) second hand clothes for residents if they didn`t have any. I thought about on several occasions reporting incidents like this to CQC but my family warned me to keep my mouth shut as I wouldn`t be believed and no other staff would back you up as they`re thinking of their jobs as they have bills to pay. The CQC are too corrupt anyway and if you report any incidents to them the care home might get investigated but the care home would get tipped off that there was going to be an inspection and clean up the home or correct whatever it was that needed doing then as soon as the inspection was done everything would go back to how it was before so nothing improved. As long as the paperwork was good that`s all that matters to CQC, care companies and the government. If anyone dares say to me why didn`t you report x, y or z, they`re living in cuckoo land as nothing ever changes and you are never believed or supported. If you do report then you lose your job and achieve nothing. Carers are the lowest rank of the health and social care hierarchy. You are treated as if you are stupid and nothing by these managers and by the industry. I live alone and have no support from anyone and have severe autoimmune conditions and arthritis. I would have had a mental breakdown if I`d have to go through an inquiry on reporting what I`d seen and I can guarantee I would have been used as a scapegoat, a fall guy etc for this if I had reported. It`s happened to other carers. A family friend many years ago reported abuse in a care home she worked in as senior carers were pouring medication down the sink. She went to CQC etc to report it and they covered their backs and she was gaslighted and made out to be a trouble maker. She went through hell. It didn`t help that the senior carers were good friends with the managers. It`s the same story everywhere.

[Vonnie10 in reply to Celticdancer]

Its not ok is it This is so sad your experience sorry you went through this 🥺 carers are the back bone yous are not and never will be the lowest ranking certainly not stupid I was a auxiliary nurse myself the place would fall to bits without care givers from the kitchen staff portering cleaners pharmacy techs doctors trained staff list is endless all important roles and cogs in the system sadly nhs in the toiletries department isn't great tiny bar of soap which were pretty useless we often use what other had left behind. I wouldn't care if someone was a band 10 your no different to anyone else. It's changing I do t know if its for the better jury is out on this. We shall see.

[oldtimer2]

He will be feeling very angry about the loss of health and ability to manage by himself and may take it out on you - just absorb and say things like 'It's awful isn't it'.

The best thing you can do if visit a frequently as you can and offer to look into things if he wants. People who are visited frequently get better treatment and care!

[Vonnie10 in reply to oldtimer2]

We will visit him it's so sad only 56 years old he won't put up with any nonsense anyway and we'll be by is side . It's slow motor neuron it's coming upto to.9 years it's catching up now can still talk thankfully.

[medway-lady]

Basically yes as it’s taken as payment for his care. It’s a change of circumstances and that must be reported. He’s moving and that no matter the reason is a change. If a pensioner they take that too except for a sum left as pocket money. This is complex and I’d imagine his Social Worker will be sorting this out. I hope the home is good and he has plenty to do there. My mums home was lovely a little bit tatty round the edges but it was so friendly, the food home cooked and lots of activities.

[Vonnie10 in reply to medway-lady]

Thanks I thought so I won't mention it no more to him I never intended to upset him its doesn't matter the surrounding of a nursing home as long as it staff are good that's all that counts, he is in hospital at the minute we went and viewed it today moving in Tuesday SW will sort it all for him. I'll keep my mouth shut.