Handling cash.

[trish1234567]

My husband has an elderly homebound cousin who lives quite a distance from us whom we visit occasionally. She is unmarried and has no other family apart from my husband. She has four daily visiting carers who look after her every day needs and heat up frozen home delivered meals for her.

However, our problem is how can we get actual regular cash payments to her to pay for small shopping items, i.e. bread, biscuits, orange and her visiting hairdresser, etc. Her bank will make no reasonable contribution to this problem. We have thought of a pre-paid debit card system and even the Post Office, but all solutions we look at seem to be too complicated or have pitfalls. The local council prefers the carers to handle cash only. Can any abber solve this problem for us? Answers gratefully accepted.

[dzug2]

The only thing I can think of is that you send her the cash by special delivery mail (I assume she can answer the door?). Roughly a fiver a go.

You then need to reimburse yourselves for the cash. Various ways of doing this - standing order on her account, she gives you a cheque at intervals

What bank does she use?

[trish1234567]

Hi dzug, if only it was so simple. Sadly she can't answer the front door. She walks with a walking frame, lives in a two level upstairs flat in a converted Victorian house.
There are two inner front doors, one to each flat. Once inside, there is then a flight of stairs. The local council has installed a key system with two entry keys contained in a box outside the house for the carers.

Regarding the cash, it will need to be more than £5.00 p.w. more like £25. Furthermore, she suffers from short-term memory loss. Sounds like a conumdrum doesn't it? By the way, the bank is Barclays and all the utilities are paid by direct debit so it is really just pocket money items. Many thanks for your help.

[spudqueen]

trish - dzug was saying that it costs about a fiver to post a special delivery item. You can post cash this way (posting cash in the ordinary post is not covered if it is lost). The standard Special Delivery is insured up to £500, but you can increase the insurance if you need to. Maybe you could get this delivered to her local Post Office, a carer could then collect it (they would have to sign for it, and provide ID with your cousins details on).

[wolf63]

What about opening a small deposit account that a carer will be able to withdraw cash from. You can put in regular small amounts and the money can be withdrawn when needed.

You can transfer the money into the account from her bank account or from your bank account.

[dzug2]

The problem seems to be of getting cash TO her more than anything else. I don't see what ANY bank could do about that. You - or a carer - getting the cash is soluble, one way or another. Having her look after it is the problem. I don't know an answer, other than putting her under the care of the public guardian. That's expensive, and I suspect won't actually solve anything

Lean on the council to bill her rather than wanting cash?

What are her own views on going into care? That would solve the problem - or rather throw up a fresh set.

[trish1234567]

Hi all - thanks for your help and interesting answers. Perhaps there is a way out somehow, all ideas seem practicable.

My husband purchased a cash box, put £100 in it for her use, and placed it in her desk. He then put the key to her desk on a long chain attached to the inside of her handbag. She then rings to ask where the key is. Both box and money appear to have gone astray. Also, she has it in her head that someone is using her cheque book - so you see the quandary we are in!

Truthfully dzug, a residential home is the obvious answer but we are told by the local authority that if an elderly person does not want to go into a home, they cannot be made to do so. Meanwhile, we’ll do our best for her. Thank you for your interest spudqueen and wolf and many, many thanks to you all.

[Hymie]

I had a similar problem with my mother, who is getting on a bit and was in the habit of keeping large amounts of cash around the house – with carers coming & going.

I installed this safe from Argos which solved the problem.

http://www.argos.co.u...searchtext%3ESAFE.htm

Importantly it has an illuminated lcd display which displays the code being entered – without this, elderly people might have problems entering a 4 digit number.

[spudqueen]

I've thought of another possible - you could send Postal Orders through the post. If they are uncrossed a carer would be able to cash them at a Post Office. They would of course get a receipt when they cashed them and you would be able to check the receipts to the number of Postal Orders you send. There is a charge for buying Postal Orders (roughly 10 per cent), but it is another way for you to consider.

[trish1234567]

Hi Hymie & Spudqueen - both suggestions sound really good. To give you a picture of this elderly lady, she is now 87 years old and in her earlier days worked at the Home Office but sadly her memory is now going.

The Argos Safe sounds a good idea and worthy of thinking about (in fact, I may get one for myself) but we feel we would somehow have to test her first. Any ideas on this one? Regarding Postal Orders, also a practical idea and I have this morning been into the P.O. to enquire about this and you are right about the 10%, we still have open mind on this one as I feel uncrossed p.o.'s can be easily stolen in the post.
I now see the P.O. do gift vouchers which usually now come in the form of a card (like a debit card) and any change is left on the card. I thought - this is good idea! Buy say 10 gift cards for £10 each. There were dozens of shops to use them at, but sadly not one supermarket.

Sorry late thanking you for your answers. Have good reason for this. Have spent the last 3 days shopping for pyjamas for her that need no ironging, have long sleeves and trousers that are not cropped. However, I did finally manage to achieve this one on my own. Cheers Trish.

[woofgang]

have you looked at the carole hochman stuff on qvc? lovely jammies there

[Whoever]

How about a briefcase size home metal strong-box with a key which can probably be bought from any of the good office stationery suppliers or via the internet? . If the key is put on a decorative metal chain which she can wear as a necklace so there would little danger of her losing it, going astray or a less than reliable carer having access to it.

Once she has the means to store money safely, perhaps she could write you a cheque for around £200, which you could cash at a bank in £5 notes, which you could replenish back into safe on your occasional visits to her.

[Whoever]

Trish - on re-reading these post, I see you have already bought her a cash box. If the box genuinely has gone missing, I would have a serious word with the organisation who provides her carers to see whether a complaint should be made to the police.
Many people with dimentia do suffer from "lost or stolen property" syndrome but it could genuinely be happening, so you should investigate further.

[trish1234567]

Hi Wolfgang - looked at the Carole Hochman QVC and yes, the jammies are really, really nice and I would quite like some of these for myself. Further about the pyjamas, we bought some we thought were suitable in BHS which did mix & match and were something between nightwear & leisurewear. However, we had second thoughts about 'were they the right ones'? Took them back, got refunded and purchased more at Mac & Co., the high street store, had second thoughts about them too so took them back and got a refund. Meanwhile, she has told us she doesn't need any pyjamas now! Soooooo - anyway, the other problem still remains about cash straight to her. Hmmmm whoever - chain around her neck instead of affixed to her handbag? Will this one work? You are right about the missing money, did have a word with the carers' organisation and they did speak to two of the women, but obviously with no result. Think we're definitely on a losing wicket here altogether. Lots of thanks for everybodies help, really appreciate it. Trish.