Archive for 5 Steps to the Perfect Care Package
My last post is an extreme example of why this is important. Life is likely hard enough for people who need health and social care without them having to deal with all the extra rubbish they get lumbered with. AT ALL TIMES remember “the customer is always right” and stand up for yourself!
Step #5 is about putting all the other steps together.
Firstly, by understanding how ‘the system’ works and your place in it you can remove the some of the stress that comes from the mystery surrounding it. This is also important because it allows you to make your own informed judgements about the way you are being treated and the decisions that are made.
Then, equip with this knowledge, an assertive presence and a healthy dose of persistence you can make a big enough impression to make sure you get what you are entitled to.
BUT, and this is a big but, you must be prepared for a few knockbacks!
The likelihood is that the whole process will take quite a long time, even if you do follow all these steps. Therefore, you must do your best not to get disheartened.
If day to day living is becoming seriously difficult and you are worried your health may suffer if you don’t get the help you need very soon, make sure to say to so, and keep saying so, it will speed things up.
Overall, stay in control, don’t let it get to you!
Bye for now,
George
P.S. In case you’re interested, there could well be some exciting developments to do with my book in the very near future, so keep checking back!
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Step #4 – Persistence, persistence, persistence!
Ever heard of the phrase “location, location, location”? Kirsty and Phil over on Channel 4 reckon it (location) is the factor MOST important to people when they purchase a home. Why is that relevant to getting a care package I hear you ask? Well…it isn’t , but I like the ‘rule of three’ thing so I thought I’d steal it and apply it to possibly the most important quality one needs when pursuing a care package…PERSISTANCE!
Ok…I admit it…this is a little similar to the last articles topic…BUT…persistence is just as important as assertiveness and more than deserves a post of its own!
Quite simply, without persistence, assertiveness is a waste of time!
Assessment for a care package often involves a lot of back and forth deciding things like who should pay for it, the NHS, social services or the individual and it is sometimes very hard not to get disillusioned and give up. For me, there were more than a few times when I felt like I was going backwards. Therefore, it is vital that you don’t waver and keep on at people until they come to a decision, Step #2 will help enormously with this because you should know what you are entitled to.
By taking control of the situation and refusing to give up you give yourself a huge advantage, not just because you will probably be far more efficient at chasing things up than the professionals, but also because you get peace of mind from knowing this is the case!
I’ll be back,
George Baker
Terminator of your care package stress!
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Step #3 – Be assertive!!!!
When you’re trying to get something you want, or in this case NEED, there’s nothing like a bit of assertiveness to make sure everyone knows you mean business!
Life can be exhausting enough for disabled people and/or those caring for someone and often the last thing they want to do is become the champion of their care package.
Unfortunately however, the reality is that if you want to get what you are entitled to (or at least get it within a reasonable time frame) then it will help you enormously if you can muster the strength to ‘lead the charge’ and make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to.
One of the main reasons the process of assessment often takes so long is quite simply lack of communication between the different people involved. So by, for example, phoning/emailing people on a regular basis, you can make sure they haven’t ‘forgotten’ you.
This will involve being a little bit more forceful than you are perhaps used to, social workers and such like often have a large case load and tend to put off (like all of us) the things that don’t need to be done immediately. All you really need to do is make sure your case stays near the top of the pile and doesn’t get relegated to the ‘no go’ pile of paperwork in the corner of their office!
Now up until this point, you’re probably thinking “this sounds like a shed load more hassle than just letting them get on with it and putting up with the wait”
Trust me…it isn’t!
For two reasons…
The first one is obvious: if you keep reminding people of your situation, how important it is and how much you mean business, they are far more likely to sort things out for you quickly, and the quicker the help you need is in place, the quicker you can get on with your life. However, it’s important to note that you always want people to stay on your side, so, as irritating as the bureaucracy and inefficiency can be, try and play nice, even when they aren’t nice to you!
Secondly, being in charge can be fun, and more importantly liberating!
I know it sounds like more work, but providing you have enough energy, appointing yourself chief in charge of your ‘care package campaign’ will make you feel far less stressed because at least you’ll know what’s going on!
Very often, the professionals involved will respond well to this because not only does it take the pressure of organisation off their shoulders, but it also looks good for them because the service user is involved and ‘personalisation’ is a big part of the government’s agenda at the moment.
Dedicated to helping you get the help you need,
George Baker
“Your personal social care guru”
P.S. part 4 and 5 coming soon!
P.P.S. really soon…getting fed up with this series…got lots of awesome stuff stored up that I want to share with you, so keep your finger over F5 (refresh) for the next few days!
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Step #2 – Make sense of the ’system’!!
Ever heard of the saying “if you want something done properly, do it yourself”?
I’m almost certain you will have and the process of applying for health and social care is one situation where this saying is absolutely true!
I won’t sugar coat things, the system is pretty damn complicated and confusing, but it’s more than worth getting to grips with because if you can manage to get your head round it you will have a better understanding of what is happening and this should reduce your stress levels. Of course, it will only be worth learning about the aspects which are relevant to you.
The question is how should one go about this?
Previously I would have told you to do trawl the web for hours looking on government websites before trying to get hold of your social worker for a good old chat, both of which would probably have just made you more confused.
You see, the information is so disparate, there is no central resource and it’s very difficult to find what is relevant to you. Luckily however, I have just the thing for you!
I’ve written the ONE and ONLY insider’s guide to the UK’s health and social care system, called “How To: Secure the Perfect Care Package!”
My intention in writing it was to provide a complete guide to the assessment process for health and social care and I’m pretty pleased with the way it’s turned out, in fact, I’ve squeezed in a lot more than I thought I would.
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Step #1 – Understand it is nearly always the ’system’, rather than the people, that is lacking in empathy
This was an important discovery for me because I realised it gave me a HUGE tactical edge!
The people administering the ’system’ often dislike the bad bits as much as the next person and yet they still feel like they get the blame for it a lot of the time. One of the best ways to decrease your stress levels is to try and get on with the people who are involved in getting your care package, they will greatly appreciate knowing you understand that, as long as they do their job properly, the result of your assessment will not be up to them and you won’t blame them if it isn’t positive. As they say, a little kindness goes a long way!
Now, in case you’re thinking “what, I’ve got enough to deal with; I’m not lowering myself by ‘bigging up’ my already pompous social worker just to make them feel better!” I couldn’t agree more!
There’s no need to ass kiss, it’s more of a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” idea, if they do good say something like “oh thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without you”. I should imagine being a social worker or a health professional can at times be a bit depressing and I expect many feel unappreciated, so a comment like that from a client would be really motivating.
The whole point of this is to get those involved with your assessment on your side, which they should be anyway, it’s what they’re paid for, but a little extra motivation can do wonders and with a bit of luck will cause people to go out of their way to help you!
The affect of this will be twofold.
Firstly, with everyone doing everything they can to help you, your chances of getting what you need are dramatically increased…AWESOME!!!!
But also, because you know this is the case, you will feel far less stressed…EVEN BETTER!!!!!
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The time at which people need care is often one of the most stressful in their lives and this is only made worse by the complicated, and oftentimes irrational, system of assessment for getting this much needed help. I’ve had firsthand experience of how this feels and the following tips and tricks are the best ways I’ve found for keeping your stress levels down whilst still doing what is necessary to get what you’re entitled to!
The overriding negative feeling most people seem to experience during the process of assessment is one of helplessness or lack of control. This often stems from either not fully understanding the procedure or from feeling that their views and opinions are not being taken into consideration, that is to say, they feel they are treated with a lack of empathy.
It is quite safe to say that it isn’t the intention of the authorities to make people feel this way, in fact, they are trying to make positive steps to correct this. At least for now however, it is safe to say people will still have to deal with some below par treatment. So how does one deal with this?
Well, the first step is one of observation…but you’ll have to wait until next time to hear what it is!
GBaker out…
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