Charity what charity ?

I can’t praise Macmillan enough for the help they gave me in the last weeks of my dads life they got me everything they could to help They supported me fully putting me in touch with charities to help with giving me a nights break and physical items like commodes, hospital bed, inco pads etc etc
They would ring and explain things to me and totally kept me going
Perhaps it depends where you live but there were ace for me

My mother was terminally ill and wasn't given long to live. A woman, from Macmillan, came to visit mum and when she left she said I will call around in a fortnight. Never saw her again and still not sure what the purpose of her visit was.

Should Macmillan be calling their helpers nurses? The name does give the wrong impression.

I thought that the Macmillan nurses that ‘looked’ after my nephew had too many other clients hence the reason they never (ever) came through on any of their promises and were never available by phone for emotional support for either him or his dad. I have supported them for years but now I’ve read the comments above my money and help will be going elsewhere.

Katek

The Rural is the Scottish equivalent of the WI, so not volunteers, just members of a ‘club’ so to speak. Let members pay for their own lunch! WRVS are volunteers - I was a member for many years doing Meals on Wheels until the council took it over and gave recipients 14 frozen meals per fortnight. We provided hot, locally prepared meals 3 times per week. plus social contact. Sorry, bit of a moan, but was never happy with that change.

As a very busy WI member, I am appalled that a WI group are selling members of the public raffle tickets to fund their own Christmas party! It’s probably not illegal though as many WI branches are affiliated as a charity, depending on their income, but we have very strict rules about what our funds can be spent on. Providing food at a party is definitely not permitted, we can only use funds for the purpose of educating women as set out in our constitution.

We’re having a party this year as well as a meal in a pub but we are paying for our own meal and taking a shared plate of food to the party - not using our funds at all.

I wonder if they have a gambling licence which you need to sell raffle tickets for a draw that takes place on a different day to the sale of the tickets.

This is fraud and needs reporting as it is not going to charity. Worker's party is definitely not a charity.

The Macmillan "nurse" who came to us said that she would help us with the application for Attendance Allowance because it was something she was very experienced with. We sat with her to complete it and off she went, promising to get it submitted quickly. After 8 weeks, and no AA received, we chased it up with the Benefits Agency and were told that no application had been received. We completed and submitted another application but he died before anything was received. We never heard from Macmillan again.

The Macmillan "nurse" who came to us said that she would help us with the application for Attendance Allowance because it was something she was very experienced with. We sat with her to complete it and off she went, promising to get it submitted quickly. After 8 weeks, and no AA received, we chased it up with the Benefits Agency and were told that no application had been received. We completed and submitted another application but he died before anything was received. We never heard from Macmillan again.

I’m really sorry to hear that *Nanawind”.

The trouble is it’s often then hard to access the help you do need because the Macmillan nurse is presumed to be giving that help and other agencies like District nurses have been reduced because “Macmillan will see to that”.

I took out a formal complaint at the time but the senior members of the organisation were not interested and simply dismissed my concerns.

I then tried to recoup from them the money that I had lost through their bad advice because that was a tangible failing that I could prove. Their response was to suggest that I should donate to Macmillan so that they could improve training.

I have come to the conclusion that they are an organisation that exists mainly to provide jobs for themselves with minimum effort.

In this past year I've had cancer. My Macmillan nurse is just above useless.
All she has been interested in is getting counseling for DH.
Which he doesn't want or need.
In her words 'im strong so I can cope'.
I can count on one hand how many times she has phoned I'm waiting for a call back
from last Monday.

BlueBelle

What’s Rural ? No I wouldn’t give to it for their party whoever they are

Scottish WI

My experience with Macmillan wasn't good.
When my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer a Macmillan nurse visited. She told us if we needed to ask anything she was at the end of a phone and she would come and see us.
I rang 3 times and she was never there and didn't respond to my messages.
She turned up at his funeral all smiles but I honestly couldn't be bothered with her.

Please do.

The Marie Curie nurse sat through every night of that last week, caring and watchful so that I could get some sleep, dealt with all the bodily needs, woke me in the morning with a cup of tea, called in the district nurses for daytime help, was with me at the death, helped me with the funeral, stayed in touch for three years until I told her I was OK.

The Macmillan nurse told him he was being selfish and his behaviour would make me resent him for ever. That he should buck up and make the most of the time he had left.

When I said I couldn’t lift him she said it wasn’t her role but she’d tell the district nurses. It was their job. Needless to say, she forgot.

I struggled alone for weeks because she told me there was no point applying for any allowances because I wouldn’t get them.

Worse than useless. She actually made it all worse.

I am now seriously considering changing my support from Mcmillan to Marie Curie.

I'm another with a bad experience with Macmillan.

aquagran

I’m so sorry to hear these bad reports about McMillan nurses. Fortunately I have never needed their support, but hold a coffee morning each year to raise funds. Is this feeling towards this charity widespread or just a few bad experiences?

I think what people don’t realise is that Macmillan nurses don’t actually do any nursing. It says on their website that they do not give any “hands-on” help but offer emotional support and information.

Of course there is a place for this and some will be excellent at giving that support. But there doesn’t seem to be any monitoring or accountability within the organisation and it means that a Macmillan nurse can actually do very little and will simply pass any needs on to other agencies.

If requested to help with direct medical practicalities they will simply refuse as it is not their role.

My experience with what they are supposed to do, emotional support, was not good either.

As I said, I really resent the amount of money that they take from charities like Marie Curie or SueRyder, who actually do hands-on care - the dirty work that Macmillan won’t touch.

Gosh, I’m still full of bile?

I had no idea Mcmilllan were less than helpful. I've been supporting them for years. Not sure what to do now.

annsixty

One of our local garden centres used to ask if, when paying by card , if you would like to round it up to the nearest pond.
In practice this meant donating almost another pound or just coppers.
I always said no as I like to be the one to choose where my donation goes.
The staff always looked unhappy asking.
I felt it wasn’t fair on them but it would not guilt me into giving

I have found this in a few shops locally and always say no,I do not appreciate being ambushed at the till! I give to charities I choose..

I’m so sorry to hear these bad reports about McMillan nurses. Fortunately I have never needed their support, but hold a coffee morning each year to raise funds. Is this feeling towards this charity widespread or just a few bad experiences?

The Rural is the Scottish equivalent of the WI, so not volunteers, just members of a ‘club’ so to speak. Let members pay for their own lunch! WRVS are volunteers - I was a member for many years doing Meals on Wheels until the council took it over and gave recipients 14 frozen meals per fortnight. We provided hot, locally prepared meals 3 times per week. plus social contact. Sorry, bit of a moan, but was never happy with that change.

I'm pleased to hear a positive story about Macmillan. Perhaps it might help me get past the way they treated my Dad.

Doesn't help me I'm afraid; I'll never forget how bad they were with mine, and a friend's husband. No donations to them ever again from me.

I equally hate the bag packers at supermarkets who give the impression they're collecting for charity but are often collecting for something for the local school or a trip abroad.
I mean fair enough if they want to offer a service in return for money, but they should be more upfront about it and make it clear they're not volunteering to collect for a charity.

allium

eazybee sums it up well, all the big boys have slick marketing departments ?

And huge bank balances to play the stock markets.

eazybee sums it up well, all the big boys have slick marketing departments ?

No-one is forced to give to a charity.
Most people get pleasure out of supporting a particular cause, and some people are extremely adroit at exploiting them.