Can I get an emergency carer for my Mum?
Yes, but it requires some work .. and persistence.
If you have a frail elderly parent (or other loved one) with care needs, you may need to act quite quickly sometimes to prevent admission to hospital.
Example
This could be the scenario. You have a frail elderly Mum, 93 year old – a proud retired teacher who does not like being told what to do. She lives on her own, just about coping, with maybe you (or a domestic lady) visiting once or twice a week. You have a family yourself, and a job. Mum is forgetful but has not had dementia diagnosed formally.
She falls over and grazes her arm and knee. But you don’t think anything is broken. She previously was able to walk a few steps with a ‘ walking frame’. Now she cannot walk or do personal hygiene, and is a little more confused than normal.
You think she needs a carer to visit twice a day initially (especially to dress/undress her and do personal hygiene), and that needs to start ASAP. If that cannot happen her health could get worse requiring hospital admission. She may refuse that. Without timely support, she is likely to become more ill and weak, needing residential or nursing care. And there is a risk to life. Sound familiar?
So what should I do?
Go to the local council’s website and find the adult social care area. There will be an emergency number which is answered 24h a day, 7 days a week. Yes, you may have to wait. But eventually someone will answer. You may need to fill out a social care requests form usually online. There may be a charge for the initial assessment.
And if they agree with you, they can help arrange carers to carry out the tasks that you think are needed by your loved one. Depending on social services availability and the level of risk, they may be able to set up carers right away. Who pays for it initially does not matter. But soon the process of who pays for it starts, and that will have to be dealt with. It may be NHS, council or you and your family – or some combination.
Back to your Mum. Adult social care aims to act quickly to prevent risks by sending in carers to your Mum’s home twice a day. They continue twice a day for a month. She gets better and then is happy to have a visit once a day long term, when previously she had refused help.
[Hint. In some parts of the UK, the wheels of the NHS/Council tend to work slowly, even in a crisis. So you may, initially, need to employ a carer from a private care agency – say for the first few days. If you Google ‘care agency .. and where your loved one lives’, you will find a local one.]
