Refunds of care home fees claim

[Rob Roy]

To get back to the original posting - one of my brother took up the case of our parents who were both in a care home suffering from senile dementia. My mother was the more severely affected and needed nursing as well as social care for 4 years. It was a ten year fight to get the relevant authority to accept liability for her nursing care, by which time both my parents had died - but in the end it had become a matter of principle to make them accept their responsibility ( they were one of only two authorities who had refused to pay anything). In the end a court ruled in our favour with the result that the authority had to pay back the proportion of contribution agreed to be for nursing care - plus the interest that would have accrued over the years, so it cost them far more than it should have done if they had agreed payment in the first place.

I'm sure they hoped my brother would give up (or die himself as he was in his 60's at the time!) without a settlement being reached. As it happens his daughter is a solicitor (she was still in university when he started) with a friend who's a barrister and they helped him. What about those people who are not able, or can't, put up such a fight? The law says these payments should be made, but the line between 'social' and 'nursing' care is a very fine and rather gray one.

[Frederick]

 This is still going on...I have today spent three hours in the company of a 90 year old lady . Her husband has throat cancer and has been given about 10 weeks to live . Due to her medical problems she can no longer care for her husband and in fact discharged herself from hospital in an attempt to be home to care for him . Arrangements  are being made for him to go into a home in  the New Forrest ..The cost she has been advised is £1000 per week  he needs nursing care ... someone has to give him his medication. The poor lady told me she hopes he does not live the 10 weeks  it would be better if he went now . Why oh why does a 90 year old have to be given this sort of stress .. 

 

[Russethouse]

That's dreadful

Couldn't they have had something like Mac Millan nurses at home?

My father had care at home from Thames Valley Hospice and nurses from the local surgery in the day too

[Frederick]

 There is a certain amount of home care in place RH. For her as well as her husband . However they can not give the hours of care at home  he is going to need and his end will be too distressing for her to face . That's why the nursing  home has been suggested to her by her doctor