eldercare
What to do if you suspect your parent is being abused
When we see images of neglect and abuse in the news we hope and pray that it won’t happen to our parents. We often have to trust their wellbeing to strangers, at home or in a care or nursing home. What do we do if we suspect that our parents are being subjected to physical, […]
Read moreHow can I coordinate my parent’s care?
Written by Rebecca Lenton As our parents get older their health issues can become complex. At one level hospital consultants are experts in their field but can be focused on the one issue without reference to anything else your parent is being treated for. At the local level your parent may be seeing a variety […]
Read moreWhat can a pharmacist do for your parent?
Written by Rebecca Lenton Pharmacists can do more for our parents now than ever. Whilst they don’t offer the same expertise as a doctor they can certainly ensure that our parents are living well and managing their medication successfully. We explore the ways in which pharmacists can help our parents with their pills and prescriptions. […]
Read moreWill the “Friends and Family Test” make a difference to hospital care?
Written by Kathy Lawrence Patients now have the opportunity to rate their hospital experience. Kathy explains how the survey works and wonders if it will give the right answers to improve our parents’ experiences. At the beginning of 2013 the UK Government announced that it would be making more use of a “Friends and Family” […]
Read moreIn praise of district nurses
This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous.When the chips are down, district nurses can be relied upon to take the time and effort to care for our elderly and ill parents at home. At 25 minutes to 1 on Monday we received a phone call from a district nurse to say that dad was […]
Read moreThe 10 biggest myths about NHS Continuing Healthcare funding
Angela Sherman, Director of Care To Be Different an online information resource about NHS Continuing Healthcare funding, debunks common mistruths about NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. Are you sorting out full time care for an older relative? Be aware that you may be given incorrect information about care fees and NHS. When it comes to NHS […]
Read moreHow to appeal against a NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment
Update November 2020: Continuing Healthcare funding has been a source of much frustration for some years. Now the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has released a report based on the cases brought to them and resolved over the last three years. The ombudsman found that failings in care and support planning has resulted in individuals and […]
Read moreShould you be paying care home top-up fees?
Written by Kathy Lawrence If a care home resident is funded by their local authority, then families are allowed to contribute top-up fees to give them more choice in where they live. There are growing claims that local authorities are demanding top-up fees to cover part of the basic care for which the authority is […]
Read moreWhat is NHS Continuing Healthcare?
Written by Rebecca Lenton As our parents get older their healthcare needs can change considerably. With complicated health conditions comes lengthy NHS and local authority assessments that can leave both you and your parent in a state of confusion. It can be difficult to understand how these processes can be of benefit to your parent […]
Read moreHow to apply for Attendance Allowance – what you need to know – Part 1
Written by Sandra Bullen It’s easy enough to say you can apply for this or that to help support your parents, but just how difficult is the practice? When They Get Older co-founder Sandra and her husband have begun the process of applying for Attendance Allowance for her mother-in-law. She’s keeping a journal of the […]
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