Crisis In Care: Follow The Money. Panorama, Tonight 7.30pm.

[ECCOnoob]

2 minutes ago, Anna B said:

In my experience what care homes say they offer, and what they actually offer differ widely, so anecdotal evidence is what your left with. It also differs widely from home to home. A lot depends on the calibre and dedication of the staff which also varies, and a glossy brochure is nothing to go on. The surface appearance might look good (and pleasant surroundings are important,) but may hide a multitude of sins, also the cost may well be higher than the £900.

Personal reccommendation is important, and  anecdotal evidence matters, bearing in mind that people are outspoken when things go wrong but less so when things are going well. 

 

This I will fully agree with. Applies in a much wider context as well.

[Victor Meldrew]

2 hours ago, Anna B said:

In my experience what care homes say they offer, and what they actually offer differ widely, so anecdotal evidence is what your left with. It also differs widely from home to home. A lot depends on the calibre and dedication of the staff which also varies, and a glossy brochure is nothing to go on. The surface appearance might look good (and pleasant surroundings are important,) but may hide a multitude of sins, also the cost may well be higher than the £900.

Personal reccommendation is important, and  anecdotal evidence matters, but bearing in mind that people are outspoken when things go wrong but less so when things are going well. 

 

You're spot on there Anna.  Whilst my Dad's experience was by and large a bad one, there were a couple of carers who were lovely people and really tried their best, even going out of their way to come and sit with us when their shift had ended and even attending Dad's funeral.  

 

The manager promised us all sorts of 'home from home' touches prior to us agreeing to place him there. I particularly recall her telling us that they didn't believe in keeping residents catheterised but that's exactly what happened to him for the entire period of his stay. How ironic then that a urinary tract infection finally finished him off. We also came to realise that most residents were in some sort of nappies such that they could 'let go' without assistance from a carer. On several occasions I had to pull them up on the fact that it was pretty obvious nobody had attended to him for quite some time. I can't begin to imagine what my Dad was thinking and feeling most of the time.

 

There I go complaining again. But the biologist in me realises that we were never intended to live so long that our brains gave up before our bodies did. And at the end of the day I guess I should have been prepared to give up everything to repay the care my Dad had once given me. So maybe my criticisms are are a bit hollow.

[Anna B]

My very proud and smart relative, in an expensive care home, was mortified to be put in 'nappies' as she put it.

As she was so upset (and I was puzzled) I asked the manager about it, but was told it was necessary as she was incontinent.

My relative however told me otherwise. 'I'm not incontinent' she said, 'But when I call for assistance, they tell me I'll have to wait because they're busy. But I just can't wait for over an hour, I need to go...  

This was never resolved.

She gave up asking them at all and ended up having a fall trying to get to the toilet by herself. She smashed her shoulder in several places. It was never set or even bandaged. She was confined to a cot. She died in agony a few weeks later.

[Victor Meldrew]

Oh Anna, I'm so sorry to hear that.  By and large they're not treated as people with dignity and feelings are they. I'm just so glad my dad never really understood where he was and why he was there. Thankfully he still recognised me and my wife and was absolutely made up whenever we walked through the door. I guess I'm glad he passed before Covid because he would not have understood.

 

Funny how I could never get to speak to the doctor who made weekly visits to the home and was on call if required. I could speak to the resident nurse but she couldn't prescribe or make the important decisions about his care. Twice I timed my visit to coincide with the doctor's weekly rounds but he managed to evade me on both occasions despite the manager supposedly having arranged for me to meet him. I still can't quite understand how he could have died from a UTI when both a doctor and resident nurse were supposedly monitoring him.

[Anna B]

Sorry to hear about your Dad's end, but I'm sure you did the very best you could for him, and he knew he was loved. The fact that he lit up when you came to see him shows it.

 

With regards to dementia etc, I have to disagree. I don't believe it's necessarily a consequence of old age. If it was, all elderly people would have it, but they don't. 

 

3 of my own grandparents lived into their 90's and none of them experienced dementia, neither is my father, who is well into his 90's; still fully active,  independent and as sharp as a tack. 

On the other hand I know 2 people who are suffering early onset dementia, one in her 50's the other in his 40's.

Then there are the all the other neurological conditions such as Parkinsons, Motor neurone, Huntingdons, and other diseases that can also exhibit dementia like symptoms and strike at any age. They are all illnesses like cancer, Heart disease, etc. which is why the so called 'dementia tax' is so unfair. It's bad enough to have these illnesses, but to lose the entire results of your life's work as a result is beyond cruel.

And they are all illnesses that affect the entire family not just the person afflicted. 

 

The brain is our most unknown organ, and research is still in its infancy compared with other diseases. They now know what causes many of these illnesses but there are no cures as yet. Hopefully that will change in the future. At the moment tho' it's still very much a lottery.

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by Anna B

[Victor Meldrew]

Thankyou for your kind words Anna. Ok, take your point, dementia can strike before old age. However two centuries ago nobody would expect to live beyond their 40's and I'll bet dementia (as we understand it now) wasn't a big problem in society. 

 

I think what I was trying to do in my earlier post, albeit clumsily, was contextualise my previous complaints & criticisms regarding the care system. It is clear that nature has no use for organisms beyond reproductive age. In a human society we might extend that to 'beyond working age'. In that context why should we expect society (the government, private care companies etc.) to invest in old people? I might not be happy about it, and I've been at the sharp end of it, but I can rationalise it. But they're still ripping us off!

 

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by Victor Meldrew