Please note: This topic is for discussions paid for by Gransnet clients. If you'd like to have your own paid for discussion thread, please feel free to mail us at My mother had dementia. Her carer visited 4 times daily.
Officially, to get mother washed and ready for the day, to toilet her, give her breakfast, all in 15 minutes.
Mother told the carer that she was already washed when she clearly was not, this went on for days/weeks and when I spoke to the Carer I was told that the patient wishes were paramount and accepted. Difficult when the patient has dementia and has no idea if and when she was last washed.
Meals on Wheels were delivered and put into the fridge. Mother would tell the carer that she had already eaten. The fridge was jam packed with uneaten food. Again the carer said that if the patient said they had eaten, then so be it.
There were many emergency admissions into hospital because of dehydration, blood sugars et al.
I worked full time and visited at least twice a week, a 40 mile trip. Mid week I'd wash mum's hair, take some shopping, bring back to my home the laundry etc etc.
At the weekend I'd do some cleaning in her house. Rubber sheets off bed and sofa etc to be washed down and discinfected. Scrub the toilet that was never flushed, the bathroom floor that was wet with urine.
I arranged for folk to cut the hedges, and do minor maintenance work.
Social Services determined that home care was giving my mother the ability to live at home. They would not listen to me.
Eventually I got an emergency call from the Social Services. Mum's social worker had called and mum answered the door wearing only a continence pad. How sad. Social services finally agreed that she was at risk at home.
Mother was always a difficult person and my brother who lived just 3 miles from her, called with her every few weeks, read the paper for a half hour and left.
All this is a long winded way of saying.... how can care in the home be monitored. And as in the case of my mother, it is not necessarily the carer being neglectful..... to what extent can they take the word of a patient suffering from dementia.
And at what point should the paid carer be reporting to the authorities their doubts that the home care is or is not working for the particular patient.
Visiting paid carers are in a position of trust and honour, families rely heavily on them.
Tell me how a visiting carer can be monitored.
So it begins….. Streeting resigns
Is it possible to remove a topic from "I'm on"
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