Advice regarding dementia, theft and POA

carolan78

I don't know we can't get answers to why the tealady has been giving her cake let alone something as serious as this. My aunt got her repeat prescription from the gp so she only ended up missing one but I can't understand how a hospital the size of this didn't have the medication on site when any chemist stocks it. I have forgotten the name of it but I don't think is a rare one.

Savvy_Sue

PALS, now, seriously! It may have a different name, but every hospital should have one - might be 'talk to us' or something similar but you should be able to find it on the hospital's website.

You may think that the cake issue isn't as serious as the pills, but both are absolutely shocking and very dangerous.

carolan78

We have already got Pals involved and although it isn't as serious as the pills I am under no illusion it is a serious matter and won't have helped her confusion not to mention make her diabetes difficult to control.

We have asked for a food diary to be kept, this has not been forthcoming. We suspect she isn't getting meals for a diabetic because she has mentioned a few times about having puddings we know she would never have dreamed of eating at home but because the hospital give her it she seems to think it will be ok to eat. Which of course will also be effecting her high blood sugars.

It's just a nightmare, I feel like I am stuck in a hamster wheel and no matter how fast I run or how hard I try I will just keep going round and round in a circle and get nowhere. A complaint letter is in the process of been wrote and will be sent as soon as it is completed. I'm in hospital myself on Monday for a minor op so I know I will be of little use for a few days. I just hope my Aunt keeps on at people to get things moving because sometimes she is like my Nan and trusts what people say too much and drags her feet with pushing because it's easier.

margaretclare

There are things called 'diabetic puddings' sweetened with sorbitol. I know these are done with meals-on-wheels. DH, having been Type II diabetic for 30 years, knows about all these but, because of the unfortunate effects of sorbitol - it's a powerful laxative - he wouldn't touch them.

Cake being given out with cups of tea??? DH and I have had several hospital stays over the past few years and have never yet been offered cake with cup of tea - we shouldn't eat it even if it was, but we've never even heard of it!!

carolan78

Thank you I know about them my Nan has tried various ones over the last 40 years and the laxatives have disastrous effects on her so if it were those then we'd see evidence of it in her laundry.

I have never heard of people getting cake in hospital either, but the lady in the opposite bed said they bring it every day between lunch and dinner and mid morning they get a couple of biscuits. The biscuits aren't so much an issue because she would usually have two mid morning at home anyway.

I'm not sure what to put in my complaint letter should I list absolutely everything or pick my battles only naming more serious complaints? At the minute there is a list as long as my arm and as her Grandaughter they obviously all matter to me because I emotionally involved but I don't want the more serious issues watering down with a huge list.

I'm heading out now to get to visiting but I'll put up a list this evening if anyone wouldn't mind helping me pick my battles?

poppy10_2

carolan78 wrote: »

I'm not sure what to put in my complaint letter should I list absolutely everything or pick my battles only naming more serious complaints?

Better to focus on the few most serious concerns. If you end up sending a lengthy rant you might just get dismissed as a moaner.

carolan78

I haven't managed to do a letter yet, I had a minor op myself monday so haven't been 100%.

Good news is my Nan should be discharged today and a room is reserved for her at the care home we requested. Bad news is this has all been sorted out while I have been out of action so to speak and my aunty has agreed the family will pay £20 per week top up. So this means she hasn't got the continuity care funding so I am going to fight for it.

Most important thing right now though is getting her out of that ward. Her poor legs yesterday we're so bad They're not helping her to the toilets so she is banging her legs, this is leading to cuts that haven't been cared for and now they're infected. She has legs like tree trunks and she's only a slight small lady.

Fingers crossed bandages will be changed daily at the care home. On the plus side a lady from the home visited her yesterday and my Nan is very much looking forward to going. She didn't stop telling us about her new flat (it's only a room really) and how lovely the lady was talking to her not at her and explaining things as though she was an adult not a child. I am hoping she loves it and it adds to her life, she has spent far too long sat home alone between visits for a lady that was quite social in her youth.

carolan78

Just a final update on this thread. My Nan sadly passed away 2 weeks ago today. The care she received in the nursing home was second to none. I don't think I could have bought better care if I had all the money in the world. So the final few months were peaceful for her even though the dementia got rapidly worse and her diabetes would not stabilise.

She got pneumonia aprox 6 weeks before she passed and she fought it but then she got another chest infection and I think she had enough of fighting and passed peacefully in her sleep.

We still have a compaint going through the motions at the hospital involved and we will not let that rest. We won't be persuing the money back from her care home fees though. Although she would have been entitled to them for the last 6 months it is just one battle we don't want to fight when she is no longer here to benefit from it.

So thank again to all those that have given me advice on this thread and I hope even if it is not totally relevant some of it helps others. If you happen to live in leeds and find yourself in a position where you have to look for a nursing home I would go and look around Atkinson Court on Ings Road. As I said earlier I don't think any amount of money could have bought better care.

Gers

carolan78 wrote: »

Just a final update on this thread. My Nan sadly passed away 2 weeks ago today. The care she received in the nursing home was second to none. I don't think I could have bought better care if I had all the money in the world. So the final few months were peaceful for her even though the dementia got rapidly worse and her diabetes would not stabilise.

She got pneumonia aprox 6 weeks before she passed and she fought it but then she got another chest infection and I think she had enough of fighting and passed peacefully in her sleep.

We still have a compaint going through the motions at the hospital involved and we will not let that rest. We won't be persuing the money back from her care home fees though. Although she would have been entitled to them for the last 6 months it is just one battle we don't want to fight when she is no longer here to benefit from it.

So thank again to all those that have given me advice on this thread and I hope even if it is not totally relevant some of it helps others. If you happen to live in leeds and find yourself in a position where you have to look for a nursing home I would go and look around Atkinson Court on Ings Road. As I said earlier I don't think any amount of money could have bought better care.

I am so sorry to read about your aunt's death. At least she had a peaceful and happy few weeks.

Please keep the complaint active, whilst a lot of care in hospital is excellent the stuff that is bad is really bad. The care my father received in his last hospital stay was appalling and I raised a complaint, even after he died (elsewhere) I pursued it. The consultant concerned was also the subject other complaints and he was removed from the registered list. The nursing care, which was highly deficient, was also improved so it's worth doing.

And well done for battling for your aunt - it takes energy and bravery in the face of the NHS so a big :T to you.

carolan78

We will continue with the NHS complaint because that will hopefully make a difference. When she went in hospital with the pneumonia we refused to allow her to be admitted to the ward we're complaining about so she was put on the ward next door.

The difference in care was unbelievable, we couldn't fault the nurses and health care assistants (it was nothing to do with the complaint we had in either because they weren't aware of her even been in the other ward due to shoddy note keeping we had to fill them in).

I am sure the praise added for that ward in our recent reply can only strengthen our case about issues on the other ward.