C – Professional support
C1: Benefits and entitlements
C2: Attendance Allowance
C3: Care companies
C4: Council Tax
C5: Admiral Nurses
C6: Incontinence aids
C7: Managing money
C1: Benefits and entitlements
Look at the AgeUK website advice section which has, amongst other things; a benefits calculator, information about cold weather payments, disability living allowance, transport concessions, housing benefits, bereavement support payments, how to challenge a benefit decision, how to get help with urgent or one-off expenses, pension credit, warm home payments, blue badge applications, TV licence concessions and a ‘more money in your pocket’ factsheet.
C2: Attendance Allowance
Use the Age UK Attendance Allowance guide get the right wording in your application – see page 6 of the guide. This will help you receive this entitlement. If your first application fails, don’t give up, appeal and try again.
Please note there are two rates – one for daytime and another rate if night-time help is given.
If you are granted Attendance Allowance, check if you’re eligible for exemption from Council Tax. More details can be found on the Alzheimer’s Society’s website: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/legal-financial/council-tax-dementia
C3: Care companies
‘Waking night service’ (ie ‘Carer’ sleeps while qualified person stays overnight 9.00 pm-7.00 am, awake to monitor the person with dementia, fills the hot water bottle, makes tea, settle etc) through Care of Excellence (Ludlow), accessed through Social Services Assessment (Jenny Shepherd).
Suncare at Brampton Bryan provide carers.
Ferns non-dementia respite care in Shrewsbury costs £840 per week.
‘Sleepcare’ offers “two wakes” per night care at £110 per night. More than two wakes can go up as high as £270 per night.
Shropshire social services can provide 24/7 care subject to circumstances (including proof of no money).
C4: Council Tax
If in receipt of Attendance Allowance, check if you’re eligible for exemption from Council Tax (see C2 above).
Council Tax Exemption – make sure you use ‘severely mentally impaired’
C5: Admiral Nurses
Kirsty-Anne Leigh is an Admiral Nurse based at Stone House Community Hospital and is one of four Admiral Nurses covering Shropshire. Referrals can only come through your GP and cannot be via self-referral. The referral from the GP does not require a dementia diagnosis. Kirsty has 50 cases and 50 carers assigned to her.
Kirsty has been great at helping a member gain a blue badge. Age-UK advise it can take up to 18 months but Kirsty was able to get one organised in four months.
C6: Incontinence aids
If needed, you can be referred by your doctor to the Incontinence Team service but if you don’t fit the referral criteria there is –
Incontinencechoice – a private provider that will home-deliver your requirements.
Wearing disposable adult pull-up incontinence pants may also provide comfort and protect from sores developing. The AgeUK website has a range on offer or you can buy them from the bigger supermarkets and chemists.
Using a combination of bedsheets, waterproof sheeting and mattress toppers can allow you to protect the mattress. Some have found that two layers of sheets and toppers help in the night when bed needs to be changed quickly.
C7: Managing money
If the person still manages their account online, banks have introduced ways to help keep their bank account secure. But the spending of money, and paying bills can be quite complicated. Read the Alzheimer’s Society’s booklet on Managing your money for things to consider and helpful tips.
Sibstar is a debit card designed for people with dementia. It might be best suited to someone in the early stages who still lives on their own or who is still going out and about alone but can be a bit of a liability with their current card. You download an app for your smartphone and can set spending limits, quickly freeze the card if it's lost or stolen, receive notifications whenever it's used etc. All to help protect their money. It costs £5 to join and then £5 per month. Cash withdrawals are 99p each. Worth a look to see if this suits your circumstances.