Advanced dementia sufferers sent complicated care survey by 'farcical' council
A council who tried to consult advanced dementia sufferers about the cost of their care, has been branded 'farcical' by the Alzheimer's Society.
Barnsley Council, which is changing the way it charges for services, sent out a complicated consultation survey marked for the dementia sufferers' attention only.
The lengthy questionnaire asked whether the patients approved of plans to increase charges with a tricky series of tick-box questions.
However, the leading Alzheimer's charity said that sufferers, who often need help with tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing, could not hope to respond in a 'meaningful way' to the survey.
One shocked relative of a dementia sufferer said: 'This letter came to my father, who now routinely hides all his post so we found it by chance.
'Social Services are involved in his care, but despite knowing the stage he's at with his illness they still regard it as proper to ask him these questions.
'He struggles to remember which day of the week it is and forgets what's happened five minutes previously, so how on earth do they expect people in those circumstances to give them reliable answers?
'If you ask my father a question, he'll say 'yes' because that's the easiest thing to do so if he tried to fill in this form he'd almost certainly just tick the first box for each of the answers.
'The letter says it must be opened only by him, so when it arrived there was no suggestion that he should pass it on to anyone else. Even then, it would be a case of relatives answering with their views in his name, which doesn't seem fair.'
An Alzheimer's Society spokeswoman said it was essential for local authorities to consult with service users but said the questionnaires were badly misjudged.
She said: 'It is farcical to address consultation letters directly to people who sadly do not have the capacity to respond in a meaningful way.'
A Barnsley Council spokesman said: 'The consultation is open to anyone in the community, which includes existing service users and their families, those who provide services and any member of the public who may want to voice their opinion.
'Many people with dementia or other forms of mental incapacity are still able to give an informed opinion with assistance where a carer or relative is willing and able to take time to explain the contents of the letter.
'Alternatively we have provided a helpline that can be used to seek assistance from within the council should that be required.'
Under a new payment scheme, the council is proposing those with savings of £23,000 would pay the full cost of their care up to a weekly ceiling.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1356799/Advanced-dementia-sufferers-sent-complicated-survey-farcical-council.html
