Caring for husband with diabetes aged 73. He has left leg amputation and recent right hand little finger. Two strokes leaving him very weak and bedridden and needs help with all tasks like feeding and drinking plus all personal care. Currently in hospital but i am informed soon to be discharged back home. I will need help because before he was admitted to hospital i was nearly broken both physically and mentally.
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@Jager90 while he is in hospital he should get a 6 weeks re enablement package of care for when he comes home to help him adjust at home and carers will come in and help this is free care for 6 weeks. During the 6 weeks at home a social worker will come if he is still bad you ask her to put in for CHC continued healthcare assessment which is free care from the nhs to be able to get this he has to pass a checklist if he passes the checklist it then he goes on to have an assessment I’ll be honest it is not easy to get it is based on someone’s primary health needs and is free care because CHC is paid for by the nhs. If the social workers make excuses or say he won’t get it. You ring your local intregrated care board yourself and you ask them for a continued healthcare checklist and assessment for your husband if he passes it his care will be free. If he does not pass it then they will say his care is social care and after the 6 weeks he will have to pay for it. Social care is means tested and goes on your husbands income and savings assets. But not your house .homecare does not include your home. You are allowed to have up to £23,250 in saving to get help with care from the council if you have more than that in savings you cannot get help for paying for care till your savings get down to that level and will be classed as self funding. Then from £14,500 to £23,250 you have to pay a contribution from his savings and his regular income.below £14,500 don’t pay anything from his savings but they will keep a check on his regular income. Joint savings will be included , but not your savings. Unless you decide to have a joint financial assessment or not. But you do not have to do. He can just have a financial assessment himself. If he doesn’t get CHC
he would be given a financial assessment if he did not get continued healthcare but make sure you get them to put in for that first or you ring the intregrated care board first. If they turn him down then you appeal the decision.do not just give up and do not just believe everything a social worker tells you .i learned the hard way.
You ask for a carers assessment in the hospital because you are caring for him . You want a care needs assessment for your husband as that will show the care that he needs. And you also want a reablement care package for 6 weeks free that starts when he is discharged from the hospital do not let him be discharged with out it.You say no I cannot manage. You ask the sister in charge of the ward. Or the discharge co ordinator to arrange these things ok.
Do you get attendance allowance for your husband I presume he is over state pension age if he doesn’t you need to put in for attendance allowance for him because he needs care.
Also I don’t know how to ask this so I’ll just ask it I hope that is ok. You say your husband has had 2 strokes how is he mentally from the strokes have they affected him mentally is it severe. If he has you can get an exemption from paying council tax. It’s not a benefit it is an exemption if he is severely mentally impaired you do not have to pay it. You would ring your local council up and tell them they may send you a form to fill in I do not know.then they will write to your doctor to confirm this.
I hope all this is helpful. You may have to stick up for yourselves but you can do it.
Reablement care package, carers assessment , care needs assessment , continued healthcare assessement, attendance allowance , severe mental impairment (council tax assessment ).
If you type each one of them into google you will be able to read about each one of them. What they are
Also there is a website called caretobedifferent.co.uk. That is all about continued healthcare you can have a look at that website. Look under the getting started heading go down the list you will see a heading the national frame work of continued healthcare care and nursing care click on that and Look at the criteria , the checklist and compare it to how your husband is. Continued healthcare is based on a primary health needs and the help they need because of there primary health needs and not on a diagnoses.
I’ve just wrote all this out just realised you are in England are you. Because the carer laws are slightly different Scotland and wales. Take care.
Hello, thank you for taking the time to provide so much valuable information which I can act upon.My husband has full capacity and will receive attendance allowance again when he is discharged from hospital. We are in the East Midlands. Thank you so much because I did not know the process of discharge from hospital.
Kind regards.
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@Jager90 your welcome I wasn’t sure about the capacity with having a stroke they can affect people differently. I wrote the other things so you could go on Google and have a read as that would be easier and then you ask any questions you want. The discharge from the hospital make sure that they organise it while he is in there the reablement because some people struggle to get it when they are sent home . Hopefully when you ask them they will do it. Don’t bring him out without it. They will want the bed so use the fact that he’s in hospital in a bed to your advantage. I hope that your husband is doing ok and that you are coping the best that you can I know it won’t be easy.x
@Jager90 also I’ve just thought I don’t know if you need any grab rails at home, or things like that , commode, bed pans, raised toilet seat .I would ask to see the occupational therapist at the hospital and have a chat with them to see what is available and what they think could help you at home so that they can arrange them and they are delivered before he arrives home. Long time loan of commodes, walking frames ,walking sticks .i don’t know what else but the occupational therapists will know .
Local council all people disabled /needs can get up to £1,000 free home adaptions ,equipment .
The Occupational Therapist should ideally do a home visit before discharge, to assess all aids etc needed, so they are all arranged before discharge. (This is what happened to my mum). Do not agree to discharge until everything is in place. Mum waited weeks for a vital air mattress.
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@Jager90 you have said that he is bedridden so he is not moving much. I was like that when I came out of hospital I had a hospital bed and air mattress that was ordered while I was in the hospital and was delivered and set up the day before I came home. And someone came to check that it would fit in my room. Have they said about a hospital bed and an air mattress. I would speak to the occupational therapist at the hospital about all these things and I would ask her to send a OT to your house to look around when you will be there before he comes home to see where all the things can go what he needs and if there is any other things they think off. And that he cannot go home till everything is sorted and in your home ready for him lTake care.
@Jager90 how are you and your husband both emotionally .with all that he has and is going through having 2 strokes and the 2 amputations how is he feeling emotionally. Has the hospital offered any support for him to talk to someone about all this if he needs it. And how are you doing do you have any support family or friends for yourself to talk to.
Occupational therapist has visited our home and I had a lengthy conversation about husbands needs and my feelings on his discharge. She just seemed to want him home as soon as possible! My feelings were listened to but I felt almost ignored. He will need a hoist.
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Husband has low mood for which he is receiving treatment. I am okay at the moment. We have 3 sons 1 lives at home with us so that is a great help and comfort to me also have friends and family I can vent to.
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@Jager90 did she not mention reablement care package free 6 weeks care . she will want him home as soon as possible because they will want the bed. When you go to the hospital you speak to either the sister in charge of the ward or the discharge co ordinator or both.You ask them for reablement care package .you tell them that you cannot cope with your husband on your own that he needs a reablement care package or it will be a unsafe discharge.
@Jager90 your husband will have a low mood that’s understandable he has been through a lot. I am glad you have your son at home and have friends and family to talk to.
If you ask the sister in charge , the discharge co ordinator for a reablement package and they don’t do it or you feel they are not going to before he is discharged You ask to see PALS at your hospital that is the patient association liason services they also have a complaints department attached to them. And you tell them and they will help you get the 6 free reablement care package before he is discharged from the hospital.
I will read through all the information you have provided and make lots of notes to ask questions when I speak to the relevant people. No she did not mention reablement care package free for 6 weeks care. Thank you again for so much valuable information and taking the time to explain everything to me.
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@Jager90 when did occupational therapist come to your house was it a while ago. I’m just think of the time. When you go and visit does it seem like they are getting him ready for discharge home at the moment ,has anyone else said anything at the hospital to you. And did the OT mentioned discharge or did you just feel that.
Also the hospital your husband is in will have a website on that website will be information on PALS and there phone number you could always ring them and ask them to come and see you at a time you are visiting your husband.
The OT visited a while ago she mentioned discharge which I was quite shocked about because he had been transferred from main city hospital to rehabilitation hospital. I was expecting more time on his rehab care but that is not the case. I mentioned this to nurse in charge when visiting him on Sundays and she was quite surprised by this. My son and I are in the process of clearing the front room of all furniture etc.
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@Jager90 so he is now in the rehabilitation hospital how long has he been in there. And when he was transferred from the main city hospital did they tell you how long he would be in the rehab one. any time frame. If they did have you brought this up that he has not been in very long. Since going from the main city hospital to the rehab one has there been any improvement have they been doing the rehab on him they are supposed to be doing.
some people just don’t care all there bothered about is the beds. 2 years ago I had an accident I broke 6 bones I had pneumonia other things .I went on the ward on the Friday and on the Monday the discharge co ordinator came to see me. I said come back in 2 months.lol. He said are you joking I said no I’m not. I said but the way I feel I won’t be going anywhere off he went. I could barely move let alone walk.anyway I came back weeks later I was still the same.i was in there for 4 months .He became my friend he organised everything for me because I had no one my dad passed away few weeks before I fell. He sorted my enablement, my hospital bed ,the things I needed at home. Because he knew I lived on my own .im sure SW must have been involved but he made sure everything was done for me. All the things I’ve told you are the things I learned over the passed two years. Some from him ,some from reading. With hospitals you need to be one step ahead not easy when they don’t tell you things.thats why I’ve told you so you know what to do. And contact PALS while he is in there if they don’t do it. Don’t leave it till he comes home because then he is in the community. You want it sorting while he is in the hospital.
He has been in rehab hospital 3 weeks. I was told on the day of his transfer he would only be there for 3 weeks and they would have him walking around with help and physio on his hand. Very little of this seems to have happened I’m not sure if husband is refusing to be helped on a daily basis because he can be very stubborn and hard work. Before he was admitted to hospital he could walk around the house downstairs but not manage walking upstairs. Now he has lost all mobility that’s why OT said he needs a hoist at home. I think he has given up to some degree! It’s been 17 years of hospital visits because of problems with diabetes. I’m so sorry to hear about your experiences and wish you well.
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Hospitals make all sorts of promises to get their bed back again.
On one occasion mum was deemed fit for discharge, but I knew her essential Zimmer frame was still at her house. I asked the Discharge Nurse if they’d seen mum walk? No. She was very annoyed that mum needed an OT and Physio Assessment and therefore would be discharged on Friday afternoon. After the OT and Physio assessed mum she was told she must never EVER try to walk again, but needed hoisting for the rest of her life! So much for being fit for discharge.
@Jager90 are you able to ask the physios why he is not walking .that you was told at the main city hospital that when he came for rehab that they would have him up and walking .to see what the answers are to why he has not progressed any further. To see if it’s because he is refusing to be helped then at least you know. When are the 3 weeks up. ask the physios if they are going to arrange physio at home for him so he can carry on his rehab at home they should do , ask them to. I’m sorry you feel he has given up to some degree he has been through a lot .hopefully this will pass.and things will start to get better. I hope you have a nice day.
Visited husband in hospital yesterday and as I suspected he is refusing physio therapy! I gave him a good talking to about his decline. I usually stay for 7 hours when I visit to observe the care he’s receiving. On leaving at 8pm he seemed in a better mood. This is now into week 4.
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