Hi, my name is alanaxe!

alanaxe

I am a disabled pensioner in Canterbury who is finding it most difficult to get any home help and don't know who to force social services to respond to enquiries or make any appointments to discuss my current dillema. This may be due to the legendary cutbacks but it would help if they were simply able to confirm that.

chiarieds

Hi & welcome to the community, @alanaxe, 'tho I'm sorry to read about your difficulty with social services.

I'll ask one of the Scope team to see if they can advise. @Adrian_Scope can you help here, please.

Adrian_Scope

Hi @alanaxe. Can I ask if you’ve been in touch with social services before, if this lack of communication on their part is due to a breakdown or failure of care, or if you’re attempting to contact them for the first time?

alanaxe

I have had a counsellor and a carer get on to them stating I needed help over the last month, but the first personal contact was actually half hour ago and someone is visiting in the morning. So, hopefully, something will come of it. Thanks all the same.

Ails

Hi @alanaxe and welcome to the Community.  It is nice to meet you.  Really sorry to hear you are having so much trouble in accessing any help at home and hope your visit tomorrow goes well and you get things sorted out.  Please keep in touch and let us know how things go.  Meantime, I hope you enjoy your time with us and if there is anything you need help/support with then please just let us know.  All the best. 

Adrian_Scope

Let us know how you get on @alanaxe. Good luck!

chiarieds

Hi @alanaxe - Hope you are doing OK. How did your home visit go?

alanaxe

I received a visit from a city council assessor who initiated a visit of somebody called an enabeler. In essence their task is to literally bully you into doing as much as you can yourself and offering minimal help for what you can't achieve. Which is a bit odd really because as a disabled person I have many many hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc to discover what I can and can't do.Thus there pressence offers maybe ten minutes physical help and then twenty minutes to fill in their forms or reports. In essence I gained no actual help with anything of multiple tasks I find difficult and am probably going to cancel their so called service once I can speak to their office on Monday. Thus I have no help and will simply have to get used to it. In the meantime thanks for your interest and wish you well in the task set up by Scope.

thespiceman

Hello @alanaxe   Pleased to meet you.
Thank you for joining and sharing.
Sorry what has happened. You are not alone with any of this.
I am one of the team of community champions..  We advise and help support members.
I would like to suggest this organisation see what they can do for you.
https://www.ageuk.org.uk.
Helpline 0800 055 6112
Please can I add I found is that you want help and support from services. Unfortunately this the problem you have been experiencing. I got help from Mental health services. You are expected to help you self much as you  can be.
Sorry to tell you that. 
I tried to get some support for me around the home all failed miserably. Yet if you have a specific condition like mentioned mental health or other conditions there are organisations connected with that, given you one.
If you wish to let me know .  Up to you I can help and look on line see what there is.  Please contact me, or if you wish to you can look yourself. Home service type in that and your areas.
I must add also there are services on line that only are companies but are expensive to use. I have to admit .
Cost vary and for every home help task. I would also advise if you have specific needs on anything please if I can ask you. See how we can help.
Do not mind . Have a wealth of knowledge on everything to do with solutions around the home.
I am always putting tips, tricks and shortcuts. I am disabled my self have been since birth. Learnt a lot use the web to seek out solutions ideas and simple easy ways to cope.
Please may I add one other point. I had a friend who had home help from a council service. I spent more time cleaning than she did when she arrived and did more time spending with my friend. Making him a meal, doing intimate personal stuff she ever did.
Woken up to phone ringing constantly and I am there.
Got to a stage made a complaint. 
I want to reassure you not every service is like that but there are times they are stretched and have severe problems of over burden clientele  plus poor paid staff who do not care, again it is heart-breaking.
Unfortunately sign of times and have even met former friends who have had same home help . Live next door to each other. Been suggested by they move in together to save costs. Absolutely true and shocking but it is happening.
Former friends like me . I ended up visiting anytime all hours day and night sometimes to make meals, clean and tidy give medications while other who supposed to be helping never arrive or are late or can not be bothered. I had one time had to make a complaint as mentioned. Because certain staff members, carers and some others stealing and abusing there positions. Another thing I had to do. Those days still resonate with me. happy to be here helping you.
Please if I can help please ask anytime.  Always here for a chat.
Please keep safe and warm,
Please take care.

@thespiceman

chiarieds

Hi @alanaxe - I'm sorry to read that the visit didn't go as I had hoped, as you probably also feel. I hope the advice above may prove helpful, & give you other avenues to explore.

Were you given any information as to where you might get any other help after the assessment, or given advice about any benefits you might be able to claim?

It is good if you can keep on doing as much as possible for yourself, even if it's just a little as often as you can, but not if it's to the detriment of your health. For example, in my own case, I've got arthritis in most of my joints, so getting up & doing tasks helps my joints from stiffening up, & I now have to be satisfied with just small achievements, but at least they are to me achievements. It also helps mentally, almost distracting me from the neurological pain I also have, if I'm concentrating on another task. Well all except vacuuming, that just plain hurts! Now thinking about yourself, as my friend thespiceman suggests, you could look online for your disability to see if there are any support groups; some offer advice/local support/face to face help, etc.

You 'might' wait & see what your council offers. You can always challenge their decision. See: https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/challenging-complaining-social-care-needs-assessment/ Just thinking, keep your options open.

As mentioned above, if you need any help over this situation, please say. And any questions about anything else. Do please keep in touch, & come here to chat any time.

Adrian_Scope

It sounds like the experience was a frustrating waste of time @alanaxe. Did you speak to them yesterday, or are you going to carry on with the service for now?

alanaxe

I have basically cancelled the so called service as it seems primarily concerned with creating elongated reports on an individuals capabilities to avert offering help, rather than accepting medically prescribed disabilities as being accurate. To me it seems just one of many aspects of the NHS cutbacks seeking to justify that denial of care or assistance.

thespiceman

Hello @alanaxe     Please can I ask did you look at any of the links I posted on your wall and on this post.

There is help and support out there to reassure you. Please if I can help or you need to ask anything else.

One thing I do a lot sit down at the computer, type in words about my own circumstances. My own health issues.

Found a lot of organisations use them for SCOPE members.

I have found being open, honest and saying what you need.

Use a notepad write down what you need from a service or an organisation, I do this with mental health services, disability organisations used. Please can you read this.

Even to the Doctors not to much now but used to.

Please if I can be helping, advising always here.

Please take care.

@thespiceman