sicut animam suam : 'it's just life'

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Palerider

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Right, I have sent a very serious letter, which states regardless of my mums jewelry missing I am deeply concerned over the now standard of carers they are employing and further having witnessed various points of concern as a professional I can't ignore them. I can't publish the letter because I have now also raised what the manager should have done but has not done.

F got on the phone with me and she said she is just at her wits end with the new influx. And to point out no disrepsect to these guys but looking after someone with these kind of needs is not for someone without training and importantly years in the saddle.

I confess today mum was walking and walking and I got one of these carers who came up to me with a wheel chair and said take your mum to her room? I said no absolutely not, let her be. Forcing my mum to stop is completely distressing for her
 

Palerider

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BIG SIGH -I just am fed up with itall. I can't believe F was so honest about how she and her colleagues are finding the continous influx of agency staff. You know what really really gets to me is that this our money taxpayer or self funding going to agency companies that just conpletely lie about the capability of their staff, I wouldn't mind but these guys get a higher rate of pay than the permanent staff in the care homes -its just ****ing wrong
 

Palerider

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This is why I always advise people looking for a care home that Things Can Change. CQC plus word of mouth reports are all very well, but when there is a high staff turnover, often including management, it can be very disruptive and can change a good care home to a poor one overnight. (Or vice versa of course!) Agency staff (whether in hospitals or care homes) seem to do only the specific tasks they are told to do and no more. A permanent member of staff does what needs doing and also gets to know their residents' needs far better. Let's be honest - it works much better with long-term staff in lots of ways.

Sadly, as there is a shortage of (good) care workers, they have no choice but to bring in people from agencies. I really hope things improve...
Its a key problem nationally @Jaded'n'faded it seems to be a disease spreading, but if you go back to the local policy changes caps were put inplace in the NHS not social care. These guys are getting what are essentially specialist carer roles for higher money with absolutely no experience or training and I have to say it shows loud and clear!!!
 

Palerider

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Unable to visit mum so far this week as been a very busy work week post bank holiday. I am off today but so tired I have barely moved and even nodded off this afternoon :rolleyes:. I do feel guilty but roll on Saturday and I'll pop in to see her.

I have had a response to my letter from the manager, which she says she has forwarded it to the chief exec of the company -I'm not quite sure if that will achieve anything, however she has acknowledged my point about the jewellery and also the agency staff. I have been assured that they have recently gone under a new recruitment drive and are putting these new permanent staff through training -we shall see. I am going to meet with her to discuss further as I think there needs to be a face to face conversation rather than written messages.
 

Palerider

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Can't sleep and another 12.5 hr shift later today. I was just thinking in my head its now 14 months since I legally challeneged the CHC on mums behalf and in between I have been informed there has been a legal row over the release of three further months of documents.

You know, I am not quite sure how advanced dementia becomes normalised -can someone please tell me because I am utterly lost on this one
 

canary

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You know, I am not quite sure how advanced dementia becomes normalised -can someone please tell me because I am utterly lost on this one
I think the plain simple matter is that the government just cannot afford to pay for the care of people in advanced dementia as it will cost too much. Therefore, the bar for CHC is set incredibly high. My FIL, MIL and mum all died from (not with) dementia and none of them ever qualified for CHC the whole of their lives.
 

Grannie G

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My husband was granted CHC when he was considered at the end of life stage. He died within the week and the CHC hadn't`t even been processed.
 

Palerider

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I think the plain simple matter is that the government just cannot afford to pay for the care of people in advanced dementia as it will cost too much. Therefore, the bar for CHC is set incredibly high. My FIL, MIL and mum all died from (not with) dementia and none of them ever qualified for CHC the whole of their lives.
Its very complicated and riddled with problems. But, anyone who has a healtcare need is entitled to be assessed at the very least and to receive a fair and just assessment. The reality is that the system is full of inequalities. Why are people with advancing dementia who clearly have a few to several health needs denied CHC funding? Its true that costs are a part of the problem, but the whole assessment process is not standardised and very reliant on and I qoute "Health and social care professionals must use their professional judgement at both the screening and full assessment stages. They assess the person’s combined healthcare needs across 11 domains in the checklist and 12 domains in the full assessment"

These assessments are not carried out by independent assessors but by organisations paid to represent the CHC, and often not with a full MDT. My mum was assessed by one person and an agency nurse, this goes against the formal guidance and they refused to visit my mum to visibly assess her.
 
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Palerider

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My husband was granted CHC when he was considered at the end of life stage. He died within the week and the CHC hadn't`t even been processed.
I am coming across lots of people in this situation at the moment, its dire isn't it. The one time you need to lean on an agency, they don't deliver.
 

Palerider

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Anyway the care manager has got back to me and given me a time to pop in, which is tomorrow morning. So I will be popping along and have a catch-up and explain the issues. Turns out she has told me they have recruited 5 new staff, so fingers crossed things are looking up.
 

Jaded'n'faded

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You know, I am not quite sure how advanced dementia becomes normalised -can someone please tell me because I am utterly lost on this one
There were a few occasions in mum's later days when I found myself almost standing outside the whole situation and looking at it as an outsider, seeing it for the first time. And thinking, 'How did it get like this?'

As you say, advanced dementia is somehow normalised, I think partly because by that time, the PWD has lost capacity and no longer takes part in any decision-making. Seems to make it easier for SS et al. to treat them as a thing or a situation to be managed rather than a person.

When you stand back, it really is quite horrifying. And let's spare a thought for those who don't have an articulate, knowledgeable family member to fight their corner :(
 

Palerider

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There were a few occasions in mum's later days when I found myself almost standing outside the whole situation and looking at it as an outsider, seeing it for the first time. And thinking, 'How did it get like this?'

As you say, advanced dementia is somehow normalised, I think partly because by that time, the PWD has lost capacity and no longer takes part in any decision-making. Seems to make it easier for SS et al. to treat them as a thing or a situation to be managed rather than a person.

When you stand back, it really is quite horrifying. And let's spare a thought for those who don't have an articulate, knowledgeable family member to fight their corner :(
I seriously think the whole system has become dependent on getting away with its responsibilities through shear conditioning that this is how it is and its no one elses problem. I certainly don't presume anyone is text book normal because none of us are, we are shaped by multifactoral influences in our lives. But as you have said @Jaded'n'faded I just don't get how some assessors say CHC is eligible and it in others with the same needs it is not eligible. Perhaps I have missed something in my 30 year career???

Yes my mum is lucky to have me and I have colleagues in the same boat who also feel its just nothing but an ever ending fight and for what? This isn't someone working their ticket, this is genuine stuff going on and when someone likes me sees it then I can only say the system is grossly unfair and I am sick of my mums nurses saying her needs are 'normal' when she has several health care needs beyond 'normal'. People assume that we get perks, well I can tell you we get sat on from a greater height because we do challenge things and in that sense we have to be even more articulate. I don't know of one colleague with their family that hasn't had to fight even harder in this situation.

Anyway this is why I instructed a legal team to take over, because I could not objectively continue to fight my mums corner. As I have said before both my dad and sister died from cancer, their lives were not affected in this way -they got everything. And lets not forget, If I could have kept mum at home as a sole carer I would have and not asked for any help other than home care which mum would have paid for.
 
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Palerider

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A very talented organist Gert van Hoef playing in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral -a place that has a great memory for me as this is where I graduated in the very same building, and a fine piece of architecture and sound it is....

 

DreamsAreReal

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Amazing video, what a beautiful building. Who's the guy that comes in at 10.40? The Land of Hope & Glory at the end was fab.
 

Palerider

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Amazing video, what a beautiful building. Who's the guy that comes in at 10.40? The Land of Hope & Glory at the end was fab.
The guy who comes in at the end is Professor Ian Tracey, Organist to the City of Liverpool; Organist at St George's Hall; Chorus Master to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society; Guest Director of Music for the BBC's Daily Service; Professor, Fellow, and Organist at Liverpool John Moores University.

Did you spot the music from a well known film ?

 

Palerider

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Today I met with mums care home manager and we had a very interesting conversation. I think it was quite revealing in how things have unfolded of late. She was not in anyway upset with my formal letter and said she would rather know how it is than people tell her things to please her. In fairness to her she has just taken over the last manager and deputy and was telling me why she was in on a Sunday -basically to sort out the mess they had left behind. This does not surprise me in the least as I was not happy with the deputy for a while, but as we are in a tight spot we persevere as many of you will relate to that I am sure. Its very apparrent that nothing was being managed under rhe old manager and deputy. When she found out about mums jewellery missing and called me on that day she said she felt completely supid because none of it had been managed. I am glad I relented in that phone call, because there is always more to a story.

Anyway she has informed me that the incident has been taken to safeguarding and to the police to mark it as there is not now much that can be done, which I agreed short of a miracle. O the upside they have had a recruitment drive and managed to recruit 5 new nurses for the care home and they will be doing more to get families feedback, including a meeting for relatives on 21st June -their first open meeting.

I feel much better having met this new manager and it seems she was saying there have been some changes including the sacking of their regional ops manager and the removal of some dodgly care staff -clearly I was not told the circumstances.
 

Grannie G

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clearly I was not told the circumstances.

At least you had a positive meeting which I hope helps you feel more positive about your mum`s care.

I can only imagine how upsetting it must be when you have doubts about the care home you selected. Thankfully I didn`t have this experience but I can well imagine how I might have felt.
 

Palerider

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At least you had a positive meeting which I hope helps you feel more positive about your mum`s care.

I can only imagine how upsetting it must be when you have doubts about the care home you selected. Thankfully I didn`t have this experience but I can well imagine how I might have felt.
Thanks @Grannie G

I think there comes a point when someone like me as a lone carer after so much turmoil over the last several years just wants to know that this is it, no more big issues, for everything to tick over and most importantly my mum is in good hands.

When that starts to fail it brings back enormous feelings of guilt having made the decisions I have had to make and a great deal of emotional pain knowing that things are still not right on top of the already bad situation with the diseae itself.

In the end, we are essentially at the mercy of others and to put our hope and trust in them
 

Sarasa

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I too had a positive meeting with the new manager of mum's care home last week. She was very discreet as to why the last manager had left in a hurry, but was good at answering my queries and explaining a few things. I'm away next week, but it will be interesting to see how things are when I turn up the week after.
I'm glad you are feeling a bit happier about things @Palerider
 
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