My experience (my old mum died at 95 early this year) is that the local county council and, if it exists, the local borough council act in cahoots over support for elderly people. The NHS only gets involved if the elderly person lands up in hospital - the hospital has to contact the local authority as they can't just discharge the person in case inadequate support is present back at home.

My mum's case was slightly different to Lizzie's ma in law as mum lived in a council house - so they had to provide stuff like bath handles. However, for most people, provision of stuff like carers, wheelchairs, handles, bath seats, Zimmer frames, even stairlifts is down to the local council(s) -there will be a person in the local care department who is does proper assessments. Councils HAVE to employ people like this (errrr....how long this will continue to be true after the next election is a bit of a question mark!)

The current received wisdom however is that local authorities should try to keep old people in their own place as long as possible as it costs far more if they are in residential care or whatever. Some authorities are more zealous than others of course but that's life/politics.

There is also help and advice available from organisations like Age Concern, Help the Aged etc. A friend of mine actually managed to get a "new" kitchen for his old mum, installed and all, from Help the Aged, even though she was a householder, not a tenant, and he's not a con artist!

Having said all that, the issue of "who you gonna call" is a bit of a minefield, as my sister and I found. It also took us months to get everybody's correct numbers on both our mobiles, including carers, council employees, doctors, pharmacists, etc etc etc ad infinitum.

Hope this gets sorted Lizzie, I know it's difficult - having just got over my mum, my wife's mum is now very confused and we have to go through the whole care/assessment/angst/upset again - at 150 miles distance this time.