My sister who has a leaning disability and needs 24 hour care lives with my elderly mother in Lancashire. I am her brother and live with my wife and children in Greater London. When the inevitable happens and my mum who is my sisters sole carer passes away I would like to bring my sister to live more local to me down South. Whilst I am not in a position to look after her full time myself due to my job I want to know if some form of shared lives carer could be arranged more local to me rather than my sister having to stay in Lancashire where she has lived all her life but will be on her own up there when my mum does eventually pass which hopefully will be many years away. I just want to be as prepared as possible and to know mine and my sisters options in advance. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.
There does appear to be a shared lives scheme in Lancashire Shared Lives - Lancashire County Council however, it would depend on them being able to find your sister a ‘match.’ Funding could also be a challenge, though not impossible as your sister would be moving authorities.
Does your sister receive any funded care at the moment?
The other thing to consider is that when the inevitable happens, your sister will be dealing with the loss of her Mum and moving out of her home. How would she respond to an unfamiliar area on top of this?
Her future needs careful planning well in advance. She is lucky you are thinking ahead.
It is possible. How severe is her disability? But it requires some careful strategic planning in advance. There are supported living schemes in all areas of the country. Is that a option or not? What are her care needs? My little 3 year old brother lives with me because my mom is unable to care for him as she is a flight attendant. While he does not have a cognitive disability, he still needs some help to remain independent. What do you want for her?
There is so much more involved that just going to get your sister and then moving her near you!
I don’t want to bombard you too much, but mum could fall ill at any time.
Start a diary or notebook in which you write down what to consider, who you have rung, what you have found out, etc. etc. We will help you all we can.
One of the most important issues is who will pay for your sister’s care, and this all needs to be arranged well in advance of any move, so that there isn’t a never ending boundary dispute between two authorities, both refusing to pay!
Are you aware of NHS Continuing Healthcare? Has your sister ever had a CHC assessment?
When did she last have a written Needs Assessment from Social Services, and mum, a Carers Assessment?
Has your sister just been cared for by mum all her life?!?! How old is she?
Is she getting any outside help at all?
Whenever she leaves mum, wherever she goes, it’s going to be a dreadful wrench (my own son has severe learning difficulties, now 40, lives in a flat with carer support).
Ask anything you like here, we are here to help. I suggest that you contact Social Services where mum lives asap, to start the conversation about what will happen. I just have a feeling that your sister may not have had much input from them at all.
I recommend finding out about supported living. Ask a social worker or talk with the scheme directly. I attended a event two years ago where shared lives staff were happy to talk to me about how they can help disabled folk live alone.
If she is used to living with mum, it’s unlikely she could manage in supported living without a full time live in carer. A small group home might be a better option but you can’t do anything until the assessments and money issues are sorted. The home authority set the budget then the new one is legally required to find at the same rate until a new assessment is done. You must do things in the right order. Your sister will also need. DWP review when she moves, and you will need to be her guardian or DWP appointee. Has mum written a will? It’s vital she has specialist advice so she doesn’t leave money directly to our sister. Does mum own her home?