Apologies for the long message, I really hope somebody may be able to help advise me from their previous experience.
My brother is in his late 20’s at the moment, he suffers from slight learning difficulties and mental health issues. We also feel that he may be on the autism spectrum although he’s never been tested/diagnosed.
He was born with cerebral palsy but his disabilities mainly affect the use of 1 hand, he has full use of his other hand. He has started getting issues with his legs/knees getting weaker which most people would usually experience from their 60’s.
At the moment, he is living with our father although our father is very elderly so we are trying to make plans for my brother’s care/living arrangements after our father is not around. I tried to search for care homes but the advice online is mostly for care homes for the elderly, can I ask what sort of things I should be searching for if I would like to find a care home which would be suitable for younger people with mental health issues/some learning difficulties?
My younger brother does not have any assets so from what I can see, he would have to contribute towards some of the care home costs out of his weekly benefits while the council would cover the rest upon assessment.
Hello Mark, it’s really not appropriate to have a detailed conversation on a public site like this about an individual, partly due to issues of confidentiality, and also due to the fact that it’s dangerous to give advice on limited information.
However, I would suggest that you speak to someone in your local authority about care and support. Anyone who has a mental or physical disability has a non-means tested right to an assessment of their needs under the Care Act 2014 (providing they consent to it, if they can consent).
Even if someone does not actively need care at the moment, they have a right to an assessment. Local authorities are pretty overstretched, so there may be a wait, but don’t take no for an answer as the Care Act section 9 places a statutory duty on a local authority to complete an assessment of need (if it appears the person has needs for care and support).
Alternatively, you could contact local voluntary organisations such as Mind or Rethink, which work with people with mental health needs and are likely to be aware of local resources.