THE FUTURE IS ONE BIG CHALLENGE AFTER ANOTHER for 3Dogs and friends ..... PART 3

beanielou

SWeet dreams then 3dogs xx

3Dogs

Concern 1) I didn't mention at the time as Mam was OK once I sorted her out, but when I got there on Sunday night, dinner had been early and was already there - so Mam was lying almost flat with her bowl of mash/gravy on her over-bed table. The table was positions further away from her than normal and she could not even see into the bowl due to how low she was and how high the table was. She had to lift a spoonful of her dinner from the bowl, over her tummy and chest to her mouth, and hadn't managed any yet. I could tell that it hadn't just been delivered though as her food was messed up along the edges of the bowl where she had been trying to get it out on the spoon. Luckily, she hadn't yet made a mess or choked on the food. I took the spoon off her, sat her up, got her comfy, brought the table and thus the bowl right up to her and she started tucking in happily

Remember, that the main danger to Mam is aspiration i.e. food or fluid going down windpipe instead of her gullet, and we were told that she must sit right up to eat and drink, for this reason

Oh, and this isn't the other main concern, but her jug today was filled with very week blackcurrant squash with no thickener in and she has to have plenty of thickening powder in all her drinks for the same reason as above - danger of aspiration!

Concern 2) when my brother went down at lunch time, he could hardly see Mam in the bed as she was so low. Yep, that airflow mattress again. They have forgot to put the plug back in or used the wrong plug for her nebuliser and left the airflow mattress control plug off causing the bed to go flat several times over the time she's been in there. This was something special today - they had switched it off on the control box/motor which hangs on the bedframe at the bottom of the bed. And this takes a deliberate action - can't surely be done by accident? Anyway, the bed takes a little while to actually go right down, as it was today, which means it must have been switched off some time earlier and either carers had not been in to check her or they had but no-one had noticed that she was now lying on the bed base????????

Carry on Matron?????? without the laughs :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Aesop

(((((((((((((((((((3Dogs)))))))))))))))))))))) I hate the way your Mam is being cared for and the stress it is putting on all you and your family.

I just wish these people cared! How would they feel if it was their mother/grandmother being treated like this?

I hope things pick up very quickly!

3Dogs

Thanks Aesop - the very sad thing is that I believe these are just normal things that happen all the time in nearly every care home

beanielou

Think though how much worse it would be if your mam dident have such a loving caring family looking out for her.
The mind boggles actually.

3Dogs

beanielou wrote: »

Think though how much worse it would be if your mam dident have such a loving caring family looking out for her.
The mind boggles actually.

It does doesn't it :eek: :eek: and some patients in there don't seem to have visitors, or have very occassional visitors, to keep an eye on things

Well, I am just gonna put my bags in the car and get off down to my sister's as my BiL is taking me up to the station for my train. I should be online on the train but will be busy tonight cleaning up for Kit, Steve and Andy coming over to visit tomorrow. Mr 3Dogs has done lots of work to tidy the place up when I've been away, but I'll have the dusting to do .... and, I expect, a few other things

beanielou

Safe home hun xxx
Have a great day tomorrow.

frugaliciousness

3Dogs wrote: »

Thanks Aesop - the very sad thing is that I believe these are just normal things that happen all the time in nearly every care home

A bit like when I was in the maternity ward. Everyone is too busy, nobody really cares about you. To get anything you have to ask or make a fuss... something the older generation can't do, sometimes they probably don't even know what they want or need.It's not fair. I remember being rollicked for not having my thick bandage tights on after my section. I said I can't bend over, can't reach my toes and can't pull them up. I was barked at "you should have asked, risk of thrombosis" I didn't even know I had them to wear! :mad:

The risk of choking though 3Dogs. That is not at all good and maybe a quiet word? I know you don't want to rock the boat with the care your mam receives but it's bordering on negligence really.

I can see the strain it is going to cause because you're all going to feel you need to be there more and more of the time just to make sure mam is ok.

http://www.cqc.org.uk/contactus/howtoraiseaconcernorcomplaint/complainaboutasocialcareservice.cfm not really at all helpful saying try to sort it at local level but might be worth read but 3Dogs I think I agree with you... much of our 'care' seems to be slapdash and rushed. I just wish staff could be responsible for a couple of patients, knowing them really well, their wants, their needs, wishes and foibles.

I get the feeling our social care here in the UK is in a bit of a state and doesn't show any signs of improvement.

I've gone off again, ignore me. I just get annoyed on your behalf.

beanielou

Unfortunatly as someone I know often says pay peanuts and get monkeys springs to mind.

3Dogs

Thanks guys - interesting link Froogs and I agree about the peanut wages Beanie - about half the staff are Phillipino but in actual fact, they seem the most caring and actually take more time to know their patients generally

I am on the train now, on my way home :j :j Dying to see Mr 3Dogs and the 3 dogs I am back up hear on 5th September though, for Mam's 92nd birthday but have a full month from then to my next trip up for when Sister, etc go to Portugal on the 18th October - mind you, we are sqeezing in a weekend down with Steve & Andy, with Kit too, at the end of September so that will make a good break for us :j :j