breaks.

[daylily]

Hi, thanks all for your replies.

I am looking for a hotel really so I can look after hubby without having to do all the other daily stuff like cooking/cleaning etc. We could have quality time together getting out and about.
At home by the time I've done everything for him and then all the housework/washing I'm too tired to push him far in the wheelchair especally after my recent hip replacement.
We don't have any money left though which is why I have asked SS/Carers/ PRTC but they cannot help unless hubby goes into respite and I go on my own-seems so unfair, he's nowhere near bad enough to be comfortable in a respite place, he hates visiting his Mum in care home.
Guess we'll just have to carry on without a break, seems daft to me that SS will pay for respite but not a hotel which would be cheaper, anything would do, one of those cheap mid-week breaks that are always in the papers would be ideal as meals are included and excursions as well which would be a great break from all the driving for me.
Thanks again for all your thoughts
xxx take care

[bowlingbun]

Might I suggest that you approach you local councillor. There used to be a principle of "Flexible Funding" in our County, which was designed to stop such craziness, by using common sense.

[charles47]

Daylily you've made the argument for a holiday break very well here:

To only have the caring to deal with for a while and have all the other household chores done by others to give you a break your husband can cope with.

That is perfectly reasonable, in line with personalisation and in line with the various Carers Acts, whic recommend a more flexible approach to supporting carers. Pity nobody can be a*sed to read them.

[daylily]

Hi again.

I've e-mailed the Welsh Assembly (health and social care dept) about this craziness. Don't suppose they will even bother to reply but I'll let you all know if they do.
Someone might see sense.
xxx take care and have a good day xxxxx

[poppett]

Daylily, Charles is quite right, and PRTC should allow an application on that basis. What you need to take out of the funding equation is what the hotel costs for your husband to be there, daft as that may sound as usually hotels put an extra cost on double rooms let to singles.

In our case travel costs are the same whether I travel alone or OH comes too, Accommodation costs are the same also, that part is booked and paid for so proves the dates we intent to travel. Fuel receipts for the journey can be handed in as proof of the money spent and the fuel alone will be more than the maximum 200 quid the carers fund allows. Please don`t give up at the first hurdle, go back to PRTC and ask advice from the person who deals with this funding on a daily basis.

Take care
Meg

[bowlingbun]

Meg, that's a really interesting way of getting round bureaucracy!!

[poppett]

Thanks Bowlingbun. You can tell I have had plenty of practice.

Our PRTC is over 100 miles away, but always happy to spend time on the phone with carers and talk out scenarios to get the best result for everyone.

Take care
Meg

[bowlingbun]

PRTC have also been incredibly helpful during my formal complaints to the care provider and the council. At first, they were concerned that they didn't understand the complexities of the case as I did. I explained that they were there to give me some moral support, and to take independent notes - I won't see anyone about my complaints without a PRTC advocate. Is this really neccessary? Well one day the social worker came to see me. I showed her and the advocate a piece of paper which proved beyond any doubt whatsoever that what I said was true, and at the time she accepted that entirely. I'm not sure what happened to her on the way back to the office, but her minutes say exactly the opposite!! Fortunately, with my PRTC advocate, it was 2 against one.