I have had Carers Assessments in the past, which didn’t seem to ensure any respect for me being involvement in my Mother’s care. Only thing I benefited from was getting a Laptop.
Have they been of use to others? Of what I have heard and experienced they are not worth the paper they are written on.
I asked the local authority’s Care Coordinator if I’m only recognized as my Mum’s Carer with a Carers Assessment and if it’s optional. She said I don’t have to have one and that I am recognized as my Mum’s Carer; so why all the fuss when they’re not worth the effort?
Hi there, my dad has just finished a 4 wk assessment and they were brilliant (although I am left a bit uncertain of where to go from here) he has benefited from mobility aids doctor has visited district nurse he also has a lady advising on medication reviewing it adjusting etc the fire brigade have done a safety check he has age uk meals delivered they have suggested I get power of attorney ASAP and they not only have supported him but me to on my worst days - which aren’t pretty !! I feel a bit out there on my own now to a certain extent but getting all the above mentioned sorted wouldn’t of happened without an assessment and I feel he’s so much more in the system as he had been forgotten about I feel I which I’d asked sooner xxx
The carers assessment should lead to a package of help and support for an unpaid carer.
Regular breaks.
Emotional support.
Help advice about all aspects of caring.
A personal budget/grant to buy unpaid carer services/support.
Help filling in forms/help with benefits.
But sometimes you just get no help. You have to be persistent, keep asking for help.
The local carer centre should be able to help you, often they are contracted by the council to provide the above services.
Years ago I was told that I could be funded to do a course at my local college. I wanted to do a sewing course. Refused, it had to lead to an academic qualification. No consideration at all of the qualifications and experience I had already, Honours degree level! Still didn’t get the sewing course.
Then asked for my gym membership to be funded. Refused, as they thought I wouldn’t go, so didn’t get that either for years. Finally they gave in, but by this time I’d had to cancel my membership and there was a hefty rejoining fee. They still would pay it all, said I had to use the council facilities, but not available when I wanted them as they were shared with a school.
My health and wellbeing is of no interest to them, they make life as difficult as possible for me. Yesterday, my car was out of action, came back from Devon on the back of an RAC van, so I couldn’t take M back to his flat. I took him away as he was fed up with the loss of 38 hours of support a week, so there should be heaps of money in his personal budget, but it took a lot of persuasion before they would pay his taxi fare back. Only relented when I asked them to regard it as “Disability Related Expenditure”.
For the past at least 4 years, social care has ‘pretended’ they didn’t know what I was asking for when I asked for a carer’s support plan, following a carer’s assessment. They pretended they didn’t know what I was talking about, then they repeatedly sent a copy of the carer’s assessment I completed instead. Of course, they knew full well what I was asking for, but continue to this very day, to pretend they don’t know.
Last year, I complained to their service internal complaints procedure, and the matter of it was passed to the general manager, who continued ‘the pretense’ of not knowing what I wanted. She promptly didn’t uphold my complaint, on the basis, I had been sent a copy (about the forth) of my carer’s assessment. Then her service sent me another copy of the original carer’s assessment and ignored my right to complain further.
I had one in March. It was superficial beyond belief. The conclusions suggested, amongst other things, a visit from the Fire Brigade for my Mum’s house, a Blue Badge (which she’s had for year) and said that I had some “lovely friends” who were supportive. What I’d actually said is that my friends realise how life difficult was!
I was offered a discount card which is no different from the one you can get from various other places, employers etc. I was told about various voluntary schemes involving churches who could “Sit” with my mother (this doesn’t help when she needs the loo!).
I wasn’t offered anything at all.
Out of interest, I did a care assessment with the Council for my Mum (she is privately funding at the moment, but I wanted a glimpse of what life might be like when she is not). The lady who did that recognised it was having a major impact on my life and recorded it.
Perhaps I just had an unskilled assessor. Other people seem to actually get things!