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So the broken hip has been operated on, the CRE infection seems to be under control and mum has been moved to an excellent rehab unit to get her fit enough to go home, and appears to be making slow but encouraging progress according to the physio we spoke to today. Dad and I have already spoken to a local agency to get a weekly cleaning/companionship (sorry, that still sounds dodgy) visit to help him/them, with a view to upping that to meet whatever support they may need when she comes home.
I'm just wondering what I can/should/need to do to get things in place before she gets the all clear - random thoughts I need to get my head around:
Is it the hospital or social services who sort out adaptations to their bungalow like hand rails etc?
Presumably someone needs to do a financial check on them to assess what they can/should pay for support in the home?
I'm assuming I need to help them organise claims for attendance allowance if they are eligible?
She could probably do to apply for a blue badge - her mobility was declining before the broken hip so definitely time to look into that
What else have I missed or need to think about?
Any advice appreciated - thanks in advance
As above.
Certainly with my mum, the OT played a bit part in things alongside social services. It all a bit of a lottery though so you might need to do a bit of nagging/chasing up to to get things sorted along the way.
Glad to hear that your mum is slowly on the mend too. It can take a good while to get a blue badge sorted, it does here anyway, so it'll be worth getting that started as soon as possible.
It's a minor sounding thing - and something the hospital or other services might provide.... but. Very difficult to walk with a stick or crutches and carry a cup of tea, your dinner or whatever. So a little trolly of some sort can be really useful. And a grabby picking up stick thing for anything that falls on the floor.
If you can arrange the room so theres a good size, easy to reach table surface next to the chair she'd normally sit in then thats a good way to have lots of stuff to hand and not have to keep getting up that can be a good thing too
Adaptations to the home might be available (that'll probably be a social work rather than NHS thing or the NHS might get the ball rolling for you with a referral) but don't expect those kinds of things to happen quickly. Can take a few months (over a year in recent experience) to just get an initial assessment.
The most useful thing can be raised loo seat that stands over the existing one - solves having to get a hand rail fitted in the short term and also reduces the amount of flex in the hip needed to get on and off the throne. Long term a 'comfort height' loo can be a neater solution.
Depending on how tall she is it can be useful to raise armchair and maybe even the bed to reduce the hip flexing needed to sit on / get out of them. You can get things called 'elephants feet' that are a sort of riser that goes under the legs / castors of furniture and raises them up temporarily
All these things tend to be something folk need for a relatively short time either until sufficiently recovered to not need them or becuase more permanent adaptations get made so you can often find good stuff in charity shops or ebay/marketplace etc for not much cash
She could probably do to apply for a blue badge - her mobility was declining before the broken hip so definitely time to look into that
It can be a bit of a complicating factor in assessing that sort of thing that she's just had surgery and therefore as she recovers her condition should be improving
It's a minor sounding thing - and something the hospital or other services might provide.... but. Very difficult to walk with a stick or crutches and carry a cup of tea, your dinner or whatever. So a little trolly of some sort can be really useful. And a grabby picking up stick thing for anything that falls on the floor.
If you can arrange the room so theres a good size, easy to reach table surface next to the chair she'd normally sit in then thats a good way to have lots of stuff to hand and not have to keep getting up that can be a good thing too
Adaptations to the home might be available (that'll probably be a social work rather than NHS thing or the NHS might get the ball rolling for you with a referral) but don't expect those kinds of things to happen quickly. Can take a few months (over a year in recent experience) to just get an initial assessment.
The most useful thing can be raised loo seat that stands over the existing one - solves having to get a hand rail fitted in the short term and also reduces the amount of flex in the hip needed to get on and off the throne. Long term a 'comfort height' loo can be a neater solution.
Depending on how tall she is it can be useful to raise armchair and maybe even the bed to reduce the hip flexing needed to sit on / get out of them. You can get things called 'elephants feet' that are a sort of riser that goes under the legs / castors of furniture and raises them up temporarily
All these things tend to be something folk need for a relatively short time either until sufficiently recovered to not need them or becuase more permanent adaptations get made so you can often find good stuff in charity shops or ebay/marketplace etc for not much cash
She could probably do to apply for a blue badge - her mobility was declining before the broken hip so definitely time to look into that
It can be a bit of a complicating factor in assessing that sort of thing that she's just had surgery and therefore as she recovers her condition should be improving
You're describing an OTs role 😉
I haven't met the OT's yet but I understand they are also involved in her rehab - she is much happier and less confused in the rehab ward rather than the surgical ward she was on before, but she is rather vague about who she is speaking to when they are asking her questions. It was a lovely young man who may have been called Tom this morning, apparently, but I'll double check exactly who he was and his role when we go and see her tomorrow.
Appreciate the comments and tips about things around the house and second hand.
I did meet the physio who worked with her today, who is called Mary, who was very pleased with what mum is already trying to do - they are just a bit worried she will overdo it and fall again.
I have also realised that any female medical staff mum describes as "having such a pretty face" is actually my mum saying "she isn't white Anglo-Saxon". It has been interesting seeing my Tory parents having to concede that apart from the ambulance crew at the start, from the admission to A&E, the surgery, the surgical ward and now the rehab team, pretty much all of them have been immigrants.
Though the only one she's had serious language barriers with was a Glaswegian physio...
She should get a visit from the OT in hospital. The OT should then visit her home and identify what equipment or modifications are appropriate for her to be able to go home. The ot will then prescribe that equipment and co ordinate with the hospital discharge team to ensure the equipment arrives in a timely manner. Social services who employ the ot are responsible for providing the equipment, installing it and then collecting it once it’s no longer needed. This can be done by them or outsourced to companies to do that part on their behalf
You're describing an OTs role
yep but a bit of a postcode lottery as to how soon you'd get that input and those provisions and what equipment is available to them to actually hand over
Once she's medically fit and discharged from the hospital, it's the LA's responsibility to ensure she receives appropriate ongoing support and care. There may be a squabble about what's needed and who pays but hopefully the OT will sort out the 'what' sensibly and the 'who' depends on your Mum's specific financial situation.
On an (unpleasant) practical note, if your Mum is immobile, she'll need Carers who may not be about when needed for example when she needs the loo. In these cases, their default is to put people in nappies. Yep, that's right. Have a think how this will be managed as it's deeply unpleasant for those impacted.
It's the hospital/LA bit that I suspect will be the crack she falls down. They do have the money to get equipment and care in as required.
Check if your Dad can get carers allowance, helps to pay for additional support that may be needed
chrismac and boblo are about right IME, although I was never sure quite who was responsible for what. The hospital ward will have seen all of this before, so chat to a senior nurse.
The equipment and mods, including a key box for access should all be sorted before her discharge. I don't think that there's any advantage to buying stuff over using the contracted lending company.
The kit will be reused elsewhere when mum is better.
If they have savings and property then they'll pay for carers, so get what you can. Attendance allowance won't kick in until six months after hospital discharge but isn't means-tested. You can apply earlier
You might want to sort out a council care line service for mum. That was an extra for us and gives her the confidence of an emergency call button if dad is outside, for example.
Respite care is also an extra if one of them needs a break from the other.
If they have funds then don't expect any support from adult social services after discharge. Ours were good until my parents were at home, then went radio silent
