82-year-old Oxfordshire-based Jennifer Baird was diagnosed with dementia after a stroke. She became confused and struggled with practical tasks. A sharer, Judith O’Boyle, was found through Share & Care Homeshare, and she lived with Jennifer for 12 months.
After Jennifer’s diagnosis the council arranged for carers to come in twice a day, but she certainly didn’t feel like she needed carers; that wasn’t really the sort of help she needed – she actually needed a little practical help and most of all, companionship.
Jennifer was a trained classical singer and had performed in many concerts. She was very much involved in the music scene locally and has been head of music head at prep school, consequently music was very important in her life.
The challenge
Even after her diagnosis Jennifer still played the piano, though more limited, and continued to enjoy a sing-song at the piano. She had always enjoyed doing crosswords and Sudoku (though as her dementia progressed, her ability to do this became more limited). She enjoyed short walks, although would get confused as to where she lived as her dementia progressed. The challenge was to try and keep Jennifer in her own home doing, what she liked to do for as long as possible.
The solution
Jennifer’s daughter Jo contacted Share and Care Homeshare as she was desperate to keep her mum in her own surroundings but find her some company and a little help
“Mum thrived under the Homeshare arrangement and we feel was in better health physically and mentally than she would have been without it. I would say, as best I can, that a 15-20-minute visit from a carer, however nice they are, doesn’t give that cognitive stimulation that having a sharer can give. And because in a Homeshare arrangement the sharer is matched with a householder. In Mum’s case Judith not only gave practical help, slept in the house at night and was a friendly face to give some companionship, she played the recorder and sung so Mum was able to continue to enjoy her music and they had some wonderful times together making music.”
The impact (including cost savings/income generated if applicable)
“When Jennifer was diagnosed with dementia, she was financially assessed and she was deemed to have to pay a certain amount – capped at £114 a week – towards whatever care she needed. At the time Judith moved in, we had had to step up the care (originally two short visits a day) adding in evening and weekend visits, and this meant that the council was having to fund an extra £60 per week.
How is the new approach being sustained?
“When Judith came we were able to reduce the evening visits and weekend visits, which drastically reduced the amount the council was having to pay towards mum’s care. Initially mum was paying Share & Care’s agency fee – just £120 per month. However, I approached mum’s council to ask if Share & Care could be included in mum’s care plan. The council absorbed it into mum’s cap as they realised that the other care visits had been reduced as a result of Judith’s placement so it was saving them money. The council ended up paying less than they had when mum just had the evening half hour visits, and yet mum was getting so much more time and support from having Judith living with her. The council told me; ‘it is such an ethical programme and that it should be rolled out in councils across the country’."
Lessons learned
Jennifer’s daughter Jo Evans says; “I wish I had known about Share & Care before, much sooner in mum’s diagnosis. Having a sharer was a very welcome solution for that year of mum’s life.”
Contact
Amanda Clarke – Director Share and Care Homeshare
Share and Care Homeshare website