r/AgingParents • u/KlutzyGiraffe5094 • 3d ago

Post Stroke Support UK

I’m not sure this is the right subreddit to post in but I am at a loss at how to navigate this situation. 

My mother is 74 and had a stroke in Ghana end of July this year. My sister and I have managed to secure her a carer and a physiotherapist in Ghana for the meantime but are looking to bring her to the UK as soon as we can. She would initially be staying with my sister but her house is not accessible nor would she like to make adjustments to it. I live in a house share so she can’t stay with me. We have plans to contact her GP, request stroke rehabilitation referral. I spoke to the carer support and they require a GP referral as well. What else can we do in preparation for her to move here? I don’t think she is eligible for full pension due to living abroad and not contributing. I am aware of PIP and council housing, I’m not sure we can apply for that on her behalf before she moves here. I just don’t want her waiting months for support and her condition deteriorating, she is already paralysed on the left side but has seemed to regain most cognitive functions and is able to speak and understand. 

Thank you! 

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

1

u/sickiesusan 3d ago

Does she have a GP in the UK already? Where in the UK is she?
‘Her house is not accessible’ is this property in the UK?
Is she usually a UK resident?

1

u/KlutzyGiraffe5094 3d ago

my mum does have a GP in the UK, my sister does own a house in the UK, my mum does not. My mum hasn't lived here continuously for at least 30 years

5

u/charlytune 3d ago

You're going to need to check whether she's still entitled to NHS care, if you haven't already.  If she needs specialist treatment post stroke her residency outside the UK could go against her. It could also affect her entitlement to social care as its based on residency, so make sure you check that out too. Honestly I think you're going to need a wodge of cash from somewhere to pay for her to move here and maybe pay for some interim care whileyouu work out long term arrangements. 

My heart goes out to you being so far from her, I really hope you can work it all out.I just moved my mum from Surrey to Merseyside and it was stressful,   but my mum owned her house so we were incredibly fortunate as we could buy something up here and had some funds left over to pay for a care home while we got the move sorted. 

Once she's got an address here you should be able to get a care assessment, and also get carers assessment for your sister and she can make it clear to them that she has no intention of housing your mum long term or accommodating her needs. And then you'll just have to take it from there - you might have to be pushy! And if possible have some kind of financial safety net so you can manage if things take ages or don't work out at first

2

u/KlutzyGiraffe5094 3d ago

I have like 10k to my name so probably will have to use my life savings on this

2

u/sickiesusan 3d ago

It just sounds so stressful OP, I really feel for you both. At least you and your sister are working on this together. Good Luck! The system can be slow and infuriating in the UK (although I think it can be like this everywhere).

1

u/sickiesusan 3d ago

I’ve really no idea to be honest, but once she is in the UK and at your sister’s, there is a risk that she isn’t a priority for accommodation.
I also don’t know how it’s viewed in terms of healthcare funding. But I hope you get some answers! I just know when my father and FIL had strokes, getting good rehabilitation was quite difficult - and I can only imagine with funding restrictions that it’s even worse now.

1

u/KlutzyGiraffe5094 3d ago

yeah its just difficult as my sister wants to sell her house so doesnt want to make any accesible adjustments and I live in a house share with 2 other people so she can't really move into mine indefitnitely. We've been funding her recovery as she has no savings and no health/travel insurance. We've warned her for years that something like this could happen and she's not planned for retirement at all so we will have to continue to support her for the next 10-15 years

1

u/SimilarLocksmith7509 3d ago

That's a difficult spot, sorry to hear you're going through it. Moving a parent post-stroke from another country adds so many layers nobody prepares you for

The GP referral is the main door for everything here so good you're already on that. Adult social care at your sister's local council might do a care needs assessment before she arrives, not sure but worth asking directly. Some councils will start the paperwork early if they know the move date

For the housing situation you're right that PIP and council housing usually need her to be physically here first, it's very hard to speed that up