25 The Money Issue

At last I got a reply from Centrelink.Her Means Tested Care Fee on top of the Basic Rate of $47.15 a day is $114.09 a day. Why on earth don't they say $114.10 or $114.based on a fortnightly income of $2900.85. Well where they got that figure from I don't know. According to my calculations her fortnightly income is $1700. Granted,that before we paid the ingoing she was getting interest on that which of course is now going to Braemar so I reckon that is a gross overstatement. Had a chat to one of the administrators and have an appointment in a day or two and I acknowledge that they can not take out more than $25,000 per annum and no more than $50,000 per lifetime which I can cover although she also has a big tax bill to pay in March for tax owing in 2013 to 2014. Admittedly it all gets reconciled in the end and with luck the next year she will get a refund but the government does not make it easy.

Anyway it was like a red rag to a bull when that day Mum starts going on about the fact that I am keeping her short of money and insinuating that I was spending it on myself when she needed a new dress and new shoes. I bought her some new clothes for Christmas including a new pair of sandals. She has got one note and some small change in her purse . Notes she drops all over the place as she tries to count them up and change she offers inappropriately to the carers to let her out.

Money is an issue in dementia. She looked after her finances well until she was 99. She just about got the Power of Attorney in place before she lost it and wants to pay her own way as she has been used to all her life. I heard another resident say he wanted to pay the bill in the nursing home to be reassured by his daughter (its usually daughters ) that it was paid for. Anyway I did not have to visit today always a bonus day and its horrible to feel that but I do!

24. Christmas at the nursing home

When I saw the invitation at the nursing home that we could join our relatives I thought that was a great idea. A break from doing all the work! I had already determined that I wasn't bringing Mum home for the day because I thought it all too much effort for her as well as me and besides I may not have been able to get her back!. There was an international student lunch for the students learning English that Bob could go to and Don had the choice of going to whichever he wanted. Well he came with me which was nice because he is Mums blue eyed boy! Well the staff had the lunch set out beautifully, we were the only relatives actually having lunch but there were other relatives visiting and a large family celebration in the other dining room so it was all very nice. I don't think any of the residents would have felt that they missed out so a big thank you to all the staff on duty. They did a great job

Mum enjoyed Fionas visit just before Christmas 

23. Centrelink

Well Mum has had nothing to do with Centrelink all the time she's been in Australia. I'm afraid I have. I helped one son fill out the forms when he was sick and totally unable to do it himself. Then when I was told I could get a carers allowance that wasn't means tested I made an application and duly got a Centrelink number and $110 a fortnight carers allowance so when I was told that nursing home fees were set by Centrelink I did not take much notice. I knew Mum would be paying the maximum daily rate, she was on a good pension. I had paid the ingoing into Braemar so when I got a letter from Centrelink I just ignored it as I had been advised,but eventually I got my first bill from the nursing home and nearly had a heart attack! So I decided I had better fill in the form, pages of it, 32 to be exact.When she sold her house, price, all her investments etc and of course that was over a month ago and still no acknowledgement. I have since found out there was an error on the bill, thank goodness and I have done some more research and the means tested amount that can be deducted can not be more than $50,000. Mum is the only non pensioner in the nursing home so I'm told, so the moral of this story is that you should make sure you are at least on a part pension before you have to go into a nursing home, spend your money,lots of travelling! And give it away! I am not sure that my husband will agree!