panicking again

soolin

I think nursing has changed and if I may make a rather contentious statement, I believe it is all to do with trying to be politically correct and also expand the duties and responsibilities.

In the 'old days' nurses nursed...they saw their patients, they arranged for doctors to be called if they were unhappy about anything, they monitored and they cared. If a ward was untidy or a patient in a dirty bed then they faced the wrath of Matron. More importantly they controlled the environment, ward sisters had their own dedicated cleaning staff for instance.

The system now is more management, papers have to be written up, training undertaken on how to ensure that all patients are treated equally. They no longer just nurse and care, they now 'manage' right down to having to write reports on a daily basis about how the outside contractors are cleaning wards..On some occasions nurses can spend less than half their shift actually nursing, the rest will eb spent doing paperwork, going through checklists to make sure all targets have been met.

If you wanted to nurse it must be very frustrating to be called out to attend meetings on how to fill out forms properly.

melancholly

just thought i'd something about care on geriatric wards - a few medical students i know used to work as nursing assistants in holidays. they genuinely believed that they made more of a difference to the patients time in hospital than most other people - they combed their hair, made them comfortable in bed, talked to them etc. i'd guess that the ease with which they always found work means that there aren't many people doing those kind of jobs.

i understand that the nhs can't do everything it wants - there isn't enough money and i know that. but sometimes the priorities are just bizarre. although i know that most nurses care and try to do their best, there will always be some that don't (as there will in any profession). the recent storm over the tory politician who complained about his treatment (in one hospital, on one occasion, saying nothing about widespread issues) shows how much people deny any form of problem..... if things like that aren't taken seriously, how on earth can an elderly person on their own expect to cope......

soolin

I was just typing my response but have deleted it as home have just called me to say dad has collapsed again and they have called an ambulance. he is breathing but as last time he can't talk properly and seems disorientated.

I'm off to the hospital again as he will be there shortly.

shopndrop

Just come across this thread and wondering how things are now?

soolin

Just an update. dad was on a much better ward this time at the local DGH and they did try to keep him mobile. He was discharged at the weekend but on the day after discharge when he was still in hospital as no one had called the home it was decided that there was something wrong with his kidneys after all and he needed 24 hour urine collection. Obviously home will not take him while this was being done, so at 12 midnight they shipped him to the local rehab geriatric hospital.

I went in first thing next day and he was very happy, but back in bed again. I complained to the staff nurse but she said that they do get dad out and as soon as they turn their back he gets himself back into bed..I do believe them as he is very reluctant to do anything unless pressed. The hospital is old and so are the beds so dad can easily get from his high seated chair to the bed without even having to support his own weight.

No one could tell me what was happening so I wrote a letter and left it for the attention of the lead clinician asking for someone to tell me what on earth was going on. I have had no response. dad was due to be sent back to the care home yesterday but for some reason did not go, so they are trying again today.

I do actually have another question, and please don't think I am begrudging dad my care..I don't mean it to sound like that. Dad is having these collapses every two weeks now and when he is ambulanced to hospital I always meet him there as he can't manage in A and E on his own. Last time I was there until 4.30am , over 12 hours so had to get dad wee bottles, and try to rustle up food and water for him as the staff in A and E came nowehere near him. I am also concerned that on the trolley beds they use he is in danger of falling as they are high and they rarely put up the side bars unless I ask. This causes me a problem as I feel I am unable to do anything in case I get 'the call'. I have already lost all the money on my long weekend as I couldn't go and leave dad, and I cancelled another holiday next week and lost the deposit for 5 peopl eon that. My DH works incredibly long hours and holidays are the only break he gets so I can't just not go away ever again. yet I can't leave dad..what do people think about me approaching the care home manager and explaining my worry and asking that if dad collapses again and I am away that I pay an off shift worker to go with dad and care for him in A and E? Would that appropriate or even possible? Is there any other way I can pay someone just to sit with dad and help him with toileting and harrass the nursing staff to look after him?

monkeyspanner

I can't see any harm in asking the care home, they can always say no. The only problem I can foresee is that their insurance may not cover an employee who is not on their property. It may also be worth approaching social services and or nursing agencies and asking if you could arrange for someone to be on call that the home could call in if your Dad has another collapse. Don't social services have emergency cover?

soolin

The problem is they don't see this as an emergency, as far as everyone is concerned the ambulance service stay with him until he is accepted into the A and E department at hospital so he is at all times in the care of a professional. I just don't think that my local stretched A and E department with their 12 hour trolley waits (they have given up even trying to get to Governemnt targets) is 'care'. Dementia has made my father very docile so he will just lay on the trolley, or try and sit up and get off until someone tells him otherwise. He would not think to call for attention for the toilet, or even for a sip of water. In fact after the falls he seems to lose the pwer of speech temporarily.

At th elast visit we had an overseas doctor attend dad after about 8 hours. Dad is profoundly deaf and relies a lot on lip reading and couldn't lip read this particulat gentleman due to an accent. He ended up just looking blank and the doctor turned to me and said 'what's wrong with him?' as though Dad was being rude and ignoring him.

It is all there in the notes but they don't read them and don't even realise about the dementia.

In fact when I left the hospital I actually pinned a note to dad's PJs that had information stating that dad had dementia and was deaf and needed assistance to do most basic things.

soolin

Unfortunately all those close to me have their own problems. I do worry though that there are other people out there who maybe don't have children or close relatives and this happens to them all the time in A and E..

EdInvestor

soolin wrote: »

Is there any other way I can pay someone just to sit with dad and help him with toileting and harrass the nursing staff to look after him?

There are agencies which supply carers equipped with all the relevant insurance and training to people who need help in the home.They operate on an occasional or regular basis - usually involves 'babysitting' an oldie while the full timer carer has some time off, includes overnight stays.Accompanying to hospital should be fine.

Worth checking with your local agency for help with this. The council should have a list of agencies, bit you don't have to arrange it through them. The care home may also have a view on which agencies are the best.

margaretclare

Try the British Nursing Association (BNA).

Margaret