caring for elderly - is there help available

[Nosha123]

A girl I work with is struggling with her parents at the moment. Her dad has dementia and parkinsons and is now very unsteady on his feet. He has had 4 falls in 2 weeks - fortunately nothing broken but all very bruised and in a lot of pain now.
The girls mother is nearly 70 so struggles to help him to bed and toilet etc and they say they are only entitled to 2 hours of care per week... which they now get.
They do have savings - so this might be why... but the last 2 nights they have had to call an ambulance in mid of night as he has fallen out of bed and she cannot get him back up again.
They are hoping to convert the garage into ground floor bedroom for him (using some of the savings), but the work hasnt even started yet, so is a while off being completed.
What help are they entitled to - or could they get? They now think they need to get a bed for the lounge and a comode - but I am not sure they really know where to start (and they aren't very good at asking for help).
Does anyone have any advice I can give my friend? She is off work today as helping her mum and waiting for the GP to come out.
I know the mother has been crying on the phone to her GP as she is reaching breaking point... can social services help? or Help The Aged? I expect they are reluctant to put him in any kind of full time care...

[Nosha123]

It would seem the GP thinks he has fractured or broken his hip - probably on the first fall.. and n o-one has spotted it til now.. so he is now going to hospital to be x-rayed.. Sadly the GP didnt flag the ambulance as urgent so the poor man has had to wait nearly 4 hours in pain for an ambulance.. and presumbly not able to move.. or go to the loo... My friend is so cross... but seems he is being taken in now - I doubt he will be leaving hospital in a hurry.. especially if there is a fracture. Problem is he cant have an operation as he cant have a general anaesth.. due to his Parkinsons medication. Poor old man!

[karenmac60]

Your local council should have a welfare rights section in the social work dept - there are people there who deal specifically with the elderly and can help your friend. Get her to give them a call.

[bednobs]

you don't have to have a general to have a hip op. TBH 4 hours isn't bad - especially if the injury is 4 weeks old, it wont be seen as urgent

[cathfromsaron]

they should be able to get a commode at no cost through the OT or district nurse at the GP surgery, with one phone call!

some social services help you bring beds downstairs ...

they need a 'statutory carers' asessment' from social services, which must take account of carers AND patients' needs together!

we paid about £9 per hour for a private care agency to call 4 times per day to my gran (she prefered paid health care workers to her own family doing it) and it worked well!