Carer's Assessment - Experiences

Carers' health and wellbeing
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Because individual councils all have their own systems, there’s no one policy for complaints handling. However, it’s always worth being aware of the advice councils receive from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. It’s a pdf document available to download here: Guidance on Effective Complaint Handling for Local Authorities - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

Among other things, it sets out what the statutory processes are for adult social care, and makes it clear that the law makes it clear that councils should produce reports on complaints annually. :nerd_face:

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I had a call from the Carer’s Support Service yesterday.

They went through my Carer’s Assessment. This time they did it properly…

I’ve agreed to try a zoom meeting on Thursday for general chat - he said it’s totally chilled out and if I want/need to leave ta any point there is no need to wait and say ‘goodbye’ although he may send an email to check I am OK afterwards - just in case there was a problem. Otherwise its a general chit-chat. Seems rather like here! It’s only once a month so I will see how it goes.

He’s also put me in touch with their Carer’s Break Service where they team up a volunteer who would come out and ‘sit’ with Graham so I can go out for up to three hours. If they don’t gel or if it just doesn’t work there’s no commitment and can ask for someone different. Again - ‘suck it and see’. Better than the line they took previously - at least he listened and understood my situation rather than making assumptions. Told him about the support on here and he said that is what their online chats are trying to achieve, but of course, that is a more regimented time.

See what happens.

Not finished with complaint against South Glos Council yet - they might think it has gone away, but it hasnt!!!

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That sounds like a result! Here’s hoping they deliver!

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Well as you point out - the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It may all be a total waste of time…

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I’m late to this thread but agree about the carer’s assessment. I was given leisure centre membership and was thrilled until I realised that I’d never be able to get out to use it! The £200 was nice. My sister came to stay for two days and I got away. On the second day I visited a dear friend who is seriously ill but the first day was just for me. I did nothing but sleep and eat and it was FABULOUS! However I’m now back to the end of my tether and relieved to find that I’m not alone.

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Breaks are a vital part of self care. This very weekend I was able to go to a local park with my dog in order to see trees and breathe in the fresh air as well. I also took showers and naps too. Today I attended a church service and talked to old friends. I even got to watch telly and even visit a local weekly farmer’s market in town yesterday afternoon. I bought some nice food. Yesterday night I sipped a full glass of white wine and had a lot of fun.

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Hi Jackie.

Never worry about being ‘late to the party’ - someone has to wash up !!!

I agree with you that such benefits can be short-lived, but we need to try to get that time for ourselves otherwise we burn out. A ‘quick fix’ from Council is fine, but we all need more than that. Trouble is - there is nothing more forthcoming.

You are certainly NOT ALONE. We all know what it is like and the forum is a great place to sound off; ask for advice; find support and generally get things off our chests. No-one has all the answers but pooling our experiences can help.

We have just adopted another dog, having lost our dear Roco just before Christmas - and I am starting to get back a bit of routine. Morning and afternoon dog walks and trips to the local Arboretum where he runs round making new friends while I relax in the tranquil surroundings and listed to birdsong as I wander through the glades. Oh how I have missed doing that. I now need to persuade Graham to let me book a motorised scooter so he can join us. He is loathe to do that as he sees it as one more bit of independence being taken away, but I point out that he is GAINING independence because he can do ‘ordinary’ things with me/us then. Its all about adapting again.

Chris

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Chris, before my knee replacements I had what my eldest son christened my "Cripple Cart!. It was wonderful being able to go round and see all my friends at the New Forest Show sat in a wonderfully comfortable seat!! No tired legs for me. Having gained more confidence I then took it to the Great Dorset Steam Fair. I went round nearly all the show apart from a very steep hill and saw lots of friends. I wan’t sure if the battery would manage, I’m no lightweight, but if it died I knew No.1 son would tow me back behind his Land Rover or even our traction engine!! The only down side was that it was too big to go in my Discovery, had to be towed to shows in a trailer.

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Oh I do like that expression “cripple cart” - your son sounds like his sense of humour is similar to mine.

I would pay good money to see you being towed by Traction Engine. When the lads leave here to go to Dorset Steam Fair each year they take a couple with caravan and coal waggon attached. Of course it takes at least 3 days to get there from here.

Talking about vehicles, I am starting to consider changing my car now G can’t drive. Need something he can get in and out of more easily and room for dog and luggage so we CAN go away on trips. Thinking hybrid if I can find the right one. Not sure I could cope with Traction Engine - although I am sure James across the way would maintain it for me - lol - at a price… :rofl:

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No1 son definitely has a querky sense of humour, but we both agree we’d rather laugh than cry after all the rubbish life has thrown at us in the last few years. We are less than 40 miles away from the Dorset Steam Fair site. There will be no show this year, and it seems increasingly unlikely that they will be held again, for a variety of reasons. I drove past the site last week on the way home from my little break in Somerset. I noticed that one of the main gated entrances has been completely removed, there is now an earth bank where the gate once was.

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Having been brought up - some would say ‘dragged up’ in Gillingham we always used to go to the Shaftesbury and Gillingham Show (quite a big event for two small towns really) and across to the Steam Fair when we could. Sad to hear it is likely to be defunct now. When I see James I will ask if he has any more info on it. I thought that it was given a rousing trumpet coming back after Lockdown but perhaps that was wishful thinking.

Never forget the piece in Reader’s Digest “Laughter - The Best Medicine”.

Not sure i f I mentioned - when G was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and was started on Hormone Therapy (they thought other therapies were probably too risky given his medical history, he was warned that he may get symptoms similar to Menopause !!! My immediate reaction was “oh great - if I wanted a partner with hot flushes and mood swings I would have married a woman, not a man!” The Consultant nearly choked and the two nurses in the room couldn’t control themselves… Say it as it is - that’s my motto !!

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Chris, it’s the same kind of sense of humour you’ll see among the armed forces, emergency services and funeral directors. Instead of calling it “gallows humour”, I always talked about “carers’ humour” - a survival tool for carers, because if we didn’t laugh about it sometimes, we’d cry.

One time, I got the call that Dad had found a lump on his leg. The GP had looked at it and sent him straight to hospital: I met my parents there and found them in a side room, looking morose. Dad was convinced it was cancer. Mum wasn’t far behind…Now, I’ve no idea why, but there was a tape measure on the bedside cabinet. I picked it up and ran it across Dad’s chest, then full length…by which time they were thoroughly bewildered…and said “They must have left it there to save a bit of time.” The penny dropped and we had a good laugh, easing some of the tension at least. Talk about timing, though - the doctor walked in at that point. It turned out they’d wasted a good worry - it was a varicose vein starting up in his thigh.

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Oh Charles. I love Gallows Humour - its the best!!! Served me very well over the years - having worked in police service I know how it helps get through a bad time.

I sometimes tell Graham when he moans about being ill, that I have the Undertaker on Speed Dial… One day I actually showed him the number on my phone and he said ‘that’s a bit much isn’t it?’ I replied ‘saves me wasting time looking it up when you decide your time is up…’ He didn’t speak to me for a few hours after that.

I have GP appt this afternoon - this is a rare treat, me going to GP alone!!! This damn cough wont clear up and as it is now three weeks or more, I have given in to nagging and going to get it checked… I am sure its nothing serious just some bug which has fallen in love with me and wont go away. If it keeps the little man happy then I will go along. May also mean I get to sleep better if I can get rid of it…

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Charles and Chris
You both sound my late hubby as far as humour!
My granddaughter was chatting about him on Sunday. This isn’t the usual humour, He told her,and my daughter’s when little that a very small building, something to do with Severn Trent water, that it was where the tooth fairies lived and they made tiny furniture out the lost teeth. Granddaughter said she believed anything he said lol. Although the Gallows humour was part of his personality,he could be a softie.

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Awww that’s sweet. I remember my grandad telling me all sorts of similar stories.

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I’ve had a few Carer’s Assessments over many years of cating for my adult son with severe learning difficulties in his 20s and the best thing I’ve got has been a one off payment of a few hundred pounds to spend on myself to improve my mental health. I spent it on a short break and art materials. Cynically I wonder if they do that to keep you quiet and stop you requesting anything else. I’m waiting for a Carers Assessment review which I phoned my local Carer’s Centre and requested as I heard they are meant to review your assessment yearly. My goal is specific-to be provided with direct payments for me and my husband to get a sitter so we can go out for regular evenings together every few monrhs. I know I am entitled to this but getting it is an entirely different matter! Fingers crossed. Next time try being very definate about your goals and what you want from the assessment and keep repeating it. I would ask for an assessment review in a year’s time. Don’t give up.

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My assessment was okay, like the previous response I do wonder if they give you money so they don’t have to provide anything else.

I got £200 from mine. I also got a carers card, which I can use to get discounts from local places. Whilst that sounds like a good idea I find the discounted places are not to my taste and are out of reach. It’s no disrespect on the businesses, I just think they were all tailored to a specific type of people. Most of the businesses were at the other side of the city too.

I’m a young carer in my mid 20s. I like art, video games, film and books. However, I found a lot of the discounts were for hairdressers, textile places, cafes, and beauty salons. There was only one place which would really appeal to me and that was a sweet shop, but I still have a supply from Christmas so I haven’t used it.

Whilst I would have considered the cafes, they were all located at the other side of the city and only open Monday to Friday. I would be at work at this time. (I have to commute to work)

Otherall I think it was pretty useless, and like I say not very tailored to my needs as a younger carer. (not that I wish to put people into a category)I’m not really someone who likes to get my hair done either, for me it’s a simple cut when it’s too long. I will straighten ut myself if it is puffy.

I can’t help but think that the discounts lent into the stereotype of women being a certain age, whilst there are so many that fit that category, there are those that fall through the gaps and there are a lot of us.

I wouldn’t have expected to see something for my love of video games, however I would have liked to have seen some discounts for maybe a couple of book shops or the cinema, even art supply places. But there was none of that.

I’m just one example of that as a young carer, but I wonder how many people could be helped with a tailored scheme. Like families with children with adapted needs, maybe there should have been discounts for soft play centres, or the zoo, or a farm. But again there was none of that.

I also think there should be a nationwide scheme for carers with discounts at places which people could pick and choose, but local businesses can lend into it. Like I love a good Toby’s calvery or a meal at a Wetherspoons.

It could be Something like the blue light scheme. Where I work I see so many small businesses offer these discounts, and these places I do actually go in.
There is a chain bakery where I live in Yorkshire, a lot of people here might know it. But they offer 25% off for blue light people, another little shop offers 15% off.

I do appreciate the NHS, but the relationship this country has with carers and the NHS is just odd. Because I work full time on minimum wage, I am not entitled to a carers benefit or any help at all anywhere. Even if I gave up work and went on it, I would be on even less, yet with less than no help. At least I can afford to feed myself now.

I can’t help but think the blue light scheme is top heavy, discounts are extended to consultants earring seventy- eighty thousand a year. I’m not sure that these people would need 25% of a bun from the bakery, but to a carer being paid £70 a week for everything that 25% could make all the difference.