My mum was admitted to hospital after a fall 10 days ago and is ready to be discharged. But she is no longer safe at alone, not just a fall risk but also forgetting how to use the toilet or what to do with soiled paper so we were finding piles of poo and dirty paper in her bedroom. Cannot prepare food and is forgetting how to make a cup of tea so was very dehydrated.
We has already reached the conclusion that sadly mum needed to go into a care home but we are unable to visit homes and choose one. None of these concerns were enough to convince the hospital social care team to help us with a placement but we were able to insist that a social worker from her local authority became involved.
Initially she thought that four care visits a day would be enough, but once she realised that mum, despite being 87, is still very mobile and trots off the the local shops several times a day, she panicked due to the lockdown. The social worker then went into melt down when I told her that mum approaches young children in the shop or streets to talk to them or touch their hair! Mum gets very agitated if she cannot go and buy something for her tea ( chocolate and biscuits!) even though we make sure there is always food in the fridge and provide her with a hot meal every day. She has also begun to get verbally abusive and physically threatening to her lovely neighbours who tried to persuade her to go indoors.
So, now they are looking for a temporary placement where mum can go until care homes open again and we can choose an appropriate one near us. Mum will be self funding but it seems that ignoring the lockdown and social distancing means that places can be found. Or at least I hope so, the hospital apparently agree now so we are keeping our fingers crossed!