Dear all,
From all the loving support and advice on this site I am in the process of having mum ( Mary) assessed for Chc . I have read that I should say all worst case scenarios as it is such a fight , which I will !!!!! But my concern is that my mum is listening to it all and I feel so sad her hearing this!! Is this normal ... I think I need to toughen up!
Unfortunately, they do want the patient close by and it is very difficult to say things, telling tales, but you must. Thankfully, S started to doze off during ours, so we went into another room. YES, it must be on the worst possible day and any crazy thing your Mum may have done, even only once, then tell them. S went into the medicine cabinet one day, while I was out walking the dog. Didn't know if he had taken any pills, so laid this on very thick! Remember she is predictably UNPREDICTABLE,!!! Can't stress that enough!!!!!!! Oh, and keep talking about her ILLNESS.
Best of luck.
Lots of love
Heady
Thank you so much Heady !....
I will take your advice and go for it . I'm just sensitive to mums feelings but realise this just has to be done and I'll get on with it for mum. I will take everything you said in board and let you know how we get on !
Sending you much love and find some happiness today xxx
You really have to give the worst case scenario - write a list to have handy to remind you - tick off as you go through meeting. Could you explain this to Mary, it is hard for her to hear but all for the good in the long run. Am sure you will get some other suggestions on this site. Jingles
Great advice Jingles ... I will do this !! Many thanks xx
You haven't already done so, it's important you read the guidelines before the assessment. If you look at caretobedifferent.co.ok - NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist assessment, 11 common mistakes, you will have an idea of what you are going to be asked. When I applied I didn't know about this site so googled CHC guide for professionals and it gave details of what the assessors would be looking for in the answers to their questions. The caretobedifferent site puts it in an easier to understand way. I went through every question beforehand, preparing my responses. It took hours but was well worth it as CHC was granted within weeks, not months, they was 3 years ago, now cuts are being made, it's even more important to be prepared. Also remember the people making the decisions will never see your mum, only what is written about her and the scores on the form so everything that can be written down, must be.
Tell your mum what to expect, explaining you are only saying what does happen sometimes. As soon as I told my husband we were doing it for funding he was fine with it.
In Kent, my husband had to be assessed to see if he was eligible to start the CHC claim. He passed that assessment and then a week later was reassessed, the same day but before the full assessment took place. 3 assessments, very frustrating.
I do hope you don't have any problems.
X
Fantastic advice Nannab ... I will most definitely take your advice and get on this website and prepare . It's all so daunting but if I'm prepared and know what will. E asked and how to answer then it will help massively! What a mindfield ! It has helped you saying tell your mum it's what sometimes happens ... i think she will understand that .. thank you for your most helpful reply xxx
I used to apply for statements of special needs for secondary school pupils which was a very similar process. The first couple I did were refused and I got parents to appeal and they were eventually awarded. I realised what I put on the forms made a lot of difference. They also went to an anonymous panel who had never seen the child and I was so angry when the first ones were refused as had the child been in front of them, no way would they have refused it. I went about claiming CHC in the same way, emphasising the danger he put himself and others in i.e trying to open the car door while on a motorway, undoing his seat belt, trying to do things he used to do and falling into pond, greenhouse, and in the middle of busy road. I'm sure your mum has done similar dangerous things. Write down as many as you can remember.
All the best.
X
Yes NannaB , I will write everything down that I can remember . As you say if the people on the panel making decisions saw our loved ones then how could they refuse ! The system doesn't work like that and I just know I'm going to have a fight on my hands ! But if I'm prepared then at least I'm half way there ! I'm so so grateful for the kind heartfelt advice xxx
If you can go in another room Mary for the initial assessment do so, we did when they came to re assess in August, if you don't have another room, speak as quietly as possible, that's my take on it! X
Thank you Satt2015 xxx
Something funny Mary when they came to do last assessment my dad thought it was a test (a serious test) and desperately tried to answer everything correctly luckily for us he messed up and proved our point lol x
Aww bless your dad satt2015!! ... that's brought a smile to my face after a tough day... thank you ! X
Lol your very welcome Mary!! I've just been working up at the golf club and an old boy of 90 had a funny turn, I called an ambulance, he's been taken home, and seemed ok! Found myself falling back into my carers role at work! God love him, 90 years old and out of an evening, he lives alone, he was soooo sweet x
I haven't done this yet but I have the same problem talking to all the professionals. It feels like hitting him when he's down. Like nannaB I explained the reason for focussing on the bad. He could understand that.
When the physio comes he can show off !
Jean x
That's exactly how I feel Jean.... it's so horrible! X
This is going to sound awful I know, but I actually took a few videos on my ipad when P was at his worst and kept a diary, both of which I used as `evidence`.
While he was still able, I always asked his permission to show the videos to the doctors etc but if P was aware of the significance, I doubt.
It is sad to discuss it all in front of the patient, but necessary sometimes.
xx
CHC again :( 
Deterioration- will we now qualify for CHC assessment ? 
