getting the care my mum deserves.

I have been through some very similar things with my Dad recently.

Is she over the savings limit for financial help with her care? - if so, you can choose what happens to her. My Dad is going home on Thursday with a live-in carer, which is a cheaper option than nursing home and his carer will concentrate exclusively on his needs.

Please feel free to pm me. She sounds as though she qualifies for what is called Continuing Health Care funding if she needs 24 hour a day nursing care - this means that the health authority have to pay for her care after hospital.

I cannot state too strongly that if this poor lady is as thin as you say, attention to her pressure areas is of paramount importance. My Nan, who was similarly thin and frail, was nursed on a net bed which helped to improve things.

Hospitals are obliged to create appropriate care plans for discharge and cannot just send her home without proper assessment and provision of aids and adaptations.

The only thing I can add to what Mishap says is don't take her out of the hospital.
If you take her home as far as the hospital is concerned the problem is gone.
Social Services are often slow to react.
I know of a case where a father was almost driving a son mad because of his dementia and the only way to get help was to dial 999.
The son then said that if nothing was done the NHS hospital would have 2 patients instead of 1.
The son was told he was responsible for moving the father out of hospital but he stood his ground and refused.
As it happened about 20 care homes looked at his father and refused to take him in because of his behaviour problems.
Eventually the NHS found a home but the son refused to arrange payment.
After a lot of argument and several more days bed blocking NHS funding was arranged.

Frank

I agree it sounds like CHC is what's called for. Don't be persuaded to take mum home.
Good luck

Another thing I would say is stand up for your rights.
One of my friends father was assessed as being entitled to NHS funding after a fight.
Several homes came to assess him and after about 2 months one was found.
While this was happening his father was in a hospital bed.
The father had little money but had his share in an expensive house. The son was the other owner occupier.
The social worker some how found out the son had owned another house in the past.
She then said that it would be far better if the son paid for the home as it would possibly take 2 or 3 weeks for the NHS funding to be approved and the room could be gone by that time.
The son stood firm knowing his father was in a safe place and he was transferred to the home 4 days later.
Also I have visited about a dozen different homes some on several occasions and I have never known one to be full as people pass away on a regular basis.

Frank

i did put a post on here that i thought might be helpfull . Dont know where its gone lol.

I have been looking after my mum for about 4 years now but recently it became very difficult with my newborn on the way. I looked into the various options of care available and decided that live in care would be best for her. I didn't want to use an agency but after hours of research was able to find a carer myself using www.liveincarejobs.co.uk
This gave me a chance to meet the carer before and find the right person for her. I think the most confusing thing about hiring a carer privately is the tax and payroll since i have never done this before. Has anyone gone through a agency or hired a carer privately before?