I was approached by JR’s sons who were in total despair as to how they could afford to fund their elderly mothers care. JR had recently lost her husband, had been diagnosed with dementia and had begun to self-neglect. She was unable to live independently and after a significant fall, was placed in a nursing home by the CCG for her own safety and security. Initially, the placement was fully funded for a period of 12 weeks but after this the Local Authority advised that JR would have to fund her own care. The family were not willing to sell JR’s property as they believed that they could benefit from a significant rental income to purchase the best possible care for their mother. However, they hit a block when they were discovered that their mother had more money in savings which prevented her from being able to enter the deferred payment route. Despite trying to speak with various commissioning teams, social workers and even the care home itself, JR’s sons were unable to access the weekly fees for their mother, the current charges incurred and how soon she would be able to access the deferred payment scheme. At that time, the Local Authority were running to a 16-week backlog relating to financial assessments, care home fee invoicing and were unwilling to cooperate with the family.
Outcome
I entered into the dialogues, contacted Financial Directors and through a variety of Video calls guided the family through the negotiation and steps that needed to be taken. A positive outcome was reached when the Local Authority confirmed that JR had reached the threshold to access the deferred payment scheme, her sons were able to upgrade her home ready for rental income and the care home accepted a realistic weekly fee. Meetings for additional funding took place with the CCG which resulted in JR receiving FNC and incontinence payments.