Its Becoming Scary To Be Old

[nailit]

I posted a couple of weeks ago that my elderly mum has bone cancer.
She was supposed to have carers in, in the morning (not a problem) and at tea time, between 5-7 pm. They have been turning up anywhere between 6-9:30.
The later shift have been told that she is down for a night time call and don't know why she has been put down for it when she has requested a teatime call. (she goes to bed at 7 at the latest). My sister (who is down as her next of kin and carer) has rang 4 times to request a teatime call to help her. In addition I have fitted a key safe outside and most of the carers still ring the bell saying that they have no knowledge of the number, despite the fact that others do and use it.
God, I hope that I don't get old and needy...
Much more to this than that, just hope that I pop it before this charade!
What a joke care in the community is!

[RATTER15]

Discuss it with her care manager, i'm assuming she has one.

[nailit]

care manager?
None that we are aware of Ratter.

[Theland]

Lack of funding for a proper service.
True, but, "wonder why?"

[ubasses]

It seems par for the course, 12 years ago my Mum had care in the home until she had to go into a care home. She was 60 miles away from me, I was on the phone to the Care Company and Social Services almost daily. I caught them out on several occasions when I went down and found the time sheet has been completed for that days lunchtime visit and it was only 11am.
When Mum was settled in the new Home, I wrote a five page (A4) letter of complaint, after investigation every one was upheld..
I only hope it did some good and others benefitted.
I wish your mother well and hope her care improves.

[Togo]

Nails you have to be tough to be old. No one tells you though when you are young, fit and able.

[Baldric]

Mrs b has been home for 19 days now, supposed to have a care package in place. Only one person has been in touch, yesterday, a Physio, asking if I could take Mrs B to her office for a mobility assessment, a round trip getting on for 30 miles.
And they wonder why I'm sceptical.

[nailit]

As I said, theres MUCH more to this.
The carers is a small part.
There is NO care in the community.
My mum is dying and no one gives a f***.
As long as the government gets its stats right.

[RATTER15]

Im assuming her care is managed through social services unless you are paying for private care, if it is through social services she should have been a "care plan" this is a document drawn up usually by a Care Manager on behalf of SS. There should be contact details of who has arranged her care package with the care plan. Contact them for enquiries about times etc. Unless the care is paid for privately, you may not achieve very much by phoning the Care Agency. If you think your Mum is being neglected, contact your local county council and speak to the "Adult Protection Team."

[RATTER15]

I am a domiciliary carer in the community, we provide an excellent service for our clients, however we never hear about the good side of care, only the crap side, it does happen, im fully aware of that but there are a lot of great carers and great agencies out there.

[nailit]

Ratter,
She has a care plan. It states that she needs a teatime call (5-7) they come out at 8:30-9;00 at night with no knowledge that they shoud have come earlier and no knowledge of the keysafe that I fitted for her.

We have complained...at least 4 times... but nothing changes...

[Togo]

Done in a sentence Baldric. A fit and able "physio" expects a diminished ability sufferer to make a 30 mile round trip to prove impaired mobility. Kin sickens me. Make the idle stards get out there and do what we pay them for. We all know that our "professional" carers are only caring for themselves do we not? When I say that I do not mean the ones who actually make the visits on minimum wage, and less than minimum travel expenses, but the toads that we have allowed to hijack the systems for their own benefit.

[retrocop]

My pre-op assessment for a triple bypass ( turned out a quadruple). The nurse said The community nurse will come to see you probably every two days to change your chest dressings after discharge as it is imperative the would site is kept clean post op. I would also be invited to post op help classes for major by pass patients on discharge.
I saw no distict nurses and no invites to any help classes.Thank God I married a old school nurse who bought the appropriate dressings and changed them herself. When I went for my first follow up appointment the Registrar asked what he could do for me. The notes from the operting hospital had been lost.
Likewise after cancer of the colon operation. Told on discharge to attend GP surgery for the practise nurse to remove staples .I made the appointment 10 days later and the Surgery nurse asked me for the staple remover. They didn't hold them and the hospital should of provided them in the pharmacy discharge pack .
We went home and my wife removed the staples.
Yes it's a barrel of laughs and that's why I don't get myself in a lather when my time eventually comes as stated in Sunny Dave's happy OP. :-)

[Baldric]

Right Togo, I will take her because she may benefit from it, then the soft stuff may well hit the fan, but one step at a time.

[nailit]

//And they wonder why I'm sceptical//
Well, I don't.
My mums dying, in constant pain, and the powers that be cant even be arrised to organize a time to give her a bedtime...
She goes to bed between 7-8 and they send some one out to her at 10 oclock despite asking for a tea time call.

[nailit]

Not to mention how the hospital lost her notes, sent her home with someone elses meds etc.

[nailit]

and now refuse her carer and next of kin to travel in an ambulance with her...

[EDDIE51]

There is a serious shortage of 'Carers' . The good ones have a lot more work than they can handle.The job is very poorly paid, demanding and not 'fashionable' ! Only 'legal minimum;" wage rates. You can get more than that working in a shop or sweeping the streets! & without any responcibility !

[retrocop]

Nailit
Been there done that. My mother's GP could not be arrised to attend my mother at home. She had collapsed and lay on the floor for two days before crawling to the phone and called an ambulance. The crew did not take her to hospital and helped her upstairs to bed. My sister in Canada rang her and she answered the bed side phone. My sister alerted me and I went to Peacehaven from London post haste and nursed my mother. I rang the GP for a house call and he twice sent a locum who issued anti-biotics. It was patently obvious she had pneumonia and when my wife joined me every Friday for the weekend (Nurse) she confirmed her thoughts. After serious threats to the GP the locum turned up and got my 83 year old mum into Eastbourne hospital at 0300hrs after 3 weeks with double pneumonia soiling her bed and unable to eat. Not very dignified for her son to have to wipe her clean and change her bedding constantly is it.

[nailit]

Retro,
That's just awful and heartbreaking.
When my dad died 19 yrs ago my family had to pull me off the doctor who came out to sign his death as only a day before he had accused our family of wanting to kill him because we asked for morphine for pain relief for him and refused to give it saying that he was not terminal (I think that dying the next day was pretty terminal).
EDDIE, I cant complain as such about the 'girls' that come out to my mum but I think that minimum wage comes into it somewhere...

[nailit]

All this stuff about care in the community is absolute b******
No poloticians end in this way!