A PENSIONER with dementia was told she couldn't return to her care home after a hospital visit as she did not have £136,000

 

Woman with dementia kicked out care home as family can't find £136,000 fee

A PENSIONER with dementia was told she couldn't return to her care home after a hospital visit as she did not have £136,000 - two years of care funds - in her bank account.

Maggie Blackwell, 83, was in the process of selling her house, with the help of her son, Andy, 58, to be able to continue to live at Newton House Care Home in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Shortly after the house sale was finalised, Maggie fell and broke her hip and needed to go to hospital.

But after she was discharged and went back to Newton House Care Home, bosses are believed to have told her they were going to cancel the contract unless she could prove she had two years' worth of funds in her bank already - a huge sum of £136,000.

Speaking to Lincolnshire Live today, Andy said: "When we took her back to Newton House, they said she had to show two years' worth of funds in her bank or they were going to cancel the contract.

"This was on the Wednesday and they gave us until the Friday to get £136,000 into her bank account [to pay for her care for the next two years].

"We pointed out that she already had £55,000 so she was more than capable of paying for her immediate care needs.

"Also, they knew that as soon as she had the money for her house, it would raise more than £136,000.

"They were adamant they wouldn't do it.

"We ended up in a situation where Lincoln Hospital couldn't discharge her in the middle of a pandemic because her care home wouldn't take her back."

Andy eventually found a different care home for his mother and, although she has been back in hospital since due to complications relating to her dementia, she's content in her new accommodation.

Speaking about his mum's battle with dementia, Andy added: "She's usually active and can talk. She's not there, but she's quite actively not there."

Andy said he's now "waiting for the inevitable" and Maggie is only expected to live for a few more weeks.

A spokesperson from Newton House Care Home said: “At Newton House Care Home our focus is on delivering high-quality care to all of our residents, from respite care to long term stays and our admission process is a key part of that, including detailed care assessments and understanding the needs of the individual resident.

"We cannot comment on individual cases but we can say that to avoid disrupting care due to financial reasons, we ask for proof of sufficient funds for two years as a standard term of a permanent contract.

"We understand that it can be an unsettling time for some families and we work closely to support them and ensure transparency throughout the process. We are sorry that we are unable to offer a permanent place in this case."