What I found at mums care home today.

[Downnotout]

Mum has Alzheimers. Her DP died suddenly a couple of months ago and me and DSIS had to put mum into full time care.

We looked around a number of places close to us- mum lived 200 miles away and thought we had found the right place.

Mum has, for the last couple of years, had to be "coerced" to get out of bed. There is no physical reason to stay in bed but I think she feels safe there. She also has history of refusing to eat. This has continued, on and off, at the care home. They normally manage to get her up at some point. My sis or myself go most days and she always gets up when we arrive. I take her out for the day and she always eats her meals then.

Now usually, one of the carers will come and find me if they have concerns about mum not eating, because she will eat for me. She has been much better for the last couple of weeks, getting up and going to the dining room for her meals. Today when I arrived at 3pm mum was still in bed. It was clear she had not got up at all. Her breakfast, a slice of toast, was still at the side of her bed untouched. Along with a stone cold cup of tea. I know if anyone had been in to offer lunch or a fresh cup of tea the toast would have gone and there would have been some covered sandwiches if she hadn't got up for lunch.

I went into her bathroom. Oh God there was poo splattered everywhere. All over the seat, the floor, I tried and couldn't flush away what was in the bowl, so much stuff it had blocked! Her dirty underwear was in the sink with a dirty flannel that she had used to try and clean herself with. In the bedroom were her trousers from yesterday, also covered in dried poo.

I got mum up and dressed and sat her in the day room and went to find a carer. She, the carer, had just come on duty, she couldn't tell me if mum had eaten anything, I told her about mums accident and she got it all cleaned up. Then she found there were no sheets on mums bed. She apologised. DD then needed the loo and went into mums bathroom. When she flushed everything came back up. I can only think that mum had had dreadful diahorrea.

But it was clearly yesterday. And no one noticed. Anything. Til I reported it at 3.30 today. Tell me that's not right.

 

[SisterAct]

Not right!.......its not human. I have just finished watching the Paralympic opening ceremony and was on an emotional high and so proud. I have now come down to earth with a bump and I am so angry to read about the way your Mum was treated.
I am so sorry you and especially your Mum have had to go through this.
Please give her a big (((hug))) from all of us.
Luv
Polly x

 

[lin1]

OMG NO NOT right at all
I am so sorry for you and your mum

I think you need to complain, not only to the home's management either

its bad enough your mum was left in such a state for god knows how long
but no drinks or food offered for hrs and hrs

You may have to move mum if things dont drastically improve soon

 

[zeeeb]

Surely the domestics who bought the food in would have smelled the poo. Its not really something that goes unnoticed. Clearly nobody had been in the room apart from the toast and tea deliverer. I would be demanding some action, perhaps a form to be signed every time someone attends her so you can see how many times she is being checked on and "cared" for in a day.

 

[Downnotout]

I know.

I'm scared. I don't have any experience. It all happened so quickly and we just had to make a decision. We don't have a social worker or anything. Mum has come from a different authority and she was being cared for by her partner, but he had been struggling and it was all I could do to convince him to get some day care for mum.

She's lost her home and partner in the last 2 months and she has only just started to settle and stop asking where he is every 5 minutes. She's so vulnerable and I think now that he had hidden how bad she was from us.

I feel guilty, that I haven't done more, and that I can't actually do much more than what I am doing now. After Christmas I have to be away in London during the week. How can I leave her like this?

 

[lin1]

I feel guilty, that I haven't done more, and that I can't actually do much more than what I am doing now. After Christmas I have to be away in London during the week. How can I leave her like this?

christmas is aways off yet, so their is time to get things sorted

Though mum doesnt have a SW I would still be inclined to contact them If their is no drastic improvement in mums care, as they are likely to have other residents placed there who are not self funding, but no one is complaining about poor care

could someone put a link to the organisation that is supposed to vet homes,

 

[Downnotout]

Is it CQC?

I do know about them. I am going to speak to the manager tomorrow (today?)
I dont know why I didn't do that this afternoon. I think I was just so shocked. I'm pretty sure it was a one off, but I have lost faith. I feel as if how many times has she not eaten/drunk and I can't be there every day to check.

The toilet thing is another issue. The carer told me that the cleaners could not go in to clean if mum was in bed, so no one had been into the bathroom.

They are normally very good at getting her up, but it's not the first time I've arrived in the afternoon to find her in bed and now I think all those times if I hadn't visited would she just have been left?

 

[FifiMo]

Hiya Downnotout,

Yes it is the CQC - Care Quality Commission.

I am horrified by what you encountered on visiting your mum on a number of levels:

The fact is was 3.30pm and she was still in bed (and not sick).
The fact that there was no evidence that she had had any food or drink that day.
The fact that the breakfast "meal" was there indicates that she hadn't even been offered lunch and more importantly, had not been encouraged to eat it.
The absence of a bedsheet on her bed - carers would have noticed this if they had been checking on her even if she was in bed.

The bathroom incident is apalling and quite frankly you are being fobbed off about the cleaners.
The evidence from the bathroom indicates that even if she was in bed, that no attempt had been made to wash her or carry out oral hygene that day (or they would have noticed the mess).
Even if she was in bed, the evidence is that no one had actually taken her to the toilet but had left her unattended all day. Does she wear incontinence pads? Even without the incident in the bathrrom the implication is she does wear pads is that she must have had the same pad on for nearly 24 hours! If she doesn't wear pads then it means she had not been prompted to use the bathroom by the staff during that whole period of time.
You noticed immediately due to the smell if nothing else that something had happened - if they did not observe the smell - this would infer that no one had been in her room for a prolonged period of time.
Is your mum on medication? Did she take her medication that day?

All of the above indicates serious failures on the part of the care home. Some of them can't even be explained away.

If it was me, I would have the meeting with the manager and then I would write to the manager to "record" the incident in writing and what the home are going to do about it. I would then copy this to the CQC and the Local Authority Social Work Department for there information and advise them that you have serious concerns about this place and would be happy to meet with them to discuss the matter.

As always, just my view...

Fiona

PS: Do not allow them to fob you off with a claim that they did check on her but she was sleeping. How did they know she was sleeping - did they check? Many dementia patients sit/or lie with their eyes closed without actually being asleep. Even if she was asleep this is more reason for them to have wakened her to ensure that there wasn't something seriously wrong with her and she had become unresponsive!

 

[lin1]

Hi

Is it CQC

I do know about them

thats the one I meant.

The toilet thing is another issue. The carer told me that the cleaners could not go in to clean if mum was in bed, so no one had been into the bathroom.

So if someone has flu and inbed, is bedridden because they are too poorly , the cleaners are not allowed to go in and clean the bathroom, are they allowed to do the bedroom, if so whats the difference , if not why not
what if a person is not in bed but sitting in their room would they be allowed to go in and clean ,sounds mighty odd to me
for on thing hygene is important

I am not explaining myself very well as its silly oclock in the morning but I am sure you get my drift

 

[Pottingshed50]

In short this home - you cannot call it a care home - wants shutting down immediately. Care Quality Commission must be called in as an emergency. This is down right neglect and the Manageress wants sacking. Just imagine what is happening to those poor people who unlike your dear Mum have no one to fight their corner. Go to the highest authority do not delay , others could be in danger. This is disgraceful.

The fact that the loo was blocked is down right negligence. Believe me that did not happen overnight.

You were obviously not expected to visit else they would have made sure she was not in that state. You would not leave an animal like that, honestly I could weep for you and your Mum. How sorry I am. This is 2012 not 1812.

 

[together]

I feel so much for you. I can fully understand you feeling too shocked to complain but you must do it today. Remember you are your Mum's voice. I had a very similar experience but sadly things declined quickly and I didn't complain/re-act fast enough. Sending you love and strength for today, willbe thinking of you Katherine x

 

[susana53]

This is absolutely not acceptable. I have worked as a care assistant for many years and visit several homes in my present job, and no way would this happen in one of my homes. You must talk to the home manager and express your feelings about this or it will never get sorted. You need to see the day report for your mum as most homes keep a record of toilet visits, meals taken, drinks given etc., especially if the resident is known to stay in her room a lot. Who was on duty that day? There should have been a senior in charge. Find out who it was and talk to them.
I hope you get to the bottom of this soon. x

 

[Saffie]

I am going to speak to the manager tomorrow (today?)

Make notes or record. This is really serious stuff. The carers in my husband's home see to the feeding of the residents and a record is kept of what, and how much is eaten Also what and how much is drunk; when their bowels are opened and state of; marks on body; when up and dressed etc. Also the checks made at night and turning of the resident if necessary, to avoid pressure sores. So loads of checks missed for your mother. It is so bad as to be criminal.

The cleaners are there to clean. Many on my husband's wing are mainly bed-bound and their rooms and bathrooms are cleaned daily - at a minimum. Someone being in bed is no excuse for not cleaning either room or bathroom.

Again, I stress, make sure that everything is recorded somewhere in case they start to deny things - which I don't doubt they will. Very best of luck. I'd have your mother out of there p.d.q. X

 

[Chemmy]

I'd be tempted to have a look at the record sheet first before you say anything as that will give you an idea of whether they're falsifying it to cover their backs. You know your mum wasn't up and dressed; it'll be interesting to see what the log says.

My mum's log sheet is readily accessible and kept in her room for the carers to fill in so I can view it without having to ask.

 

[jaymor]

This is not just sad, it is horrendous. I can understand them not wanting to go into her room to hoover or steam clean her bedroom but there was no excuse for not cleaning her bathroom up. If anyone is in bed during the day, for whatever reason, there should be someone looking in regularily and any uneaten food and drink should have been taken away.

All food and drink is recorded in the nursing home where my husband is, a is going to bed and getting up. Liquid intake is important and I am sure there is a minimum amount that is acceptable. Ask to see her records. My husband has only been in his nursing home for just over a week and we have visited him every day going in one day in the morning, one day afternoon, one day early evening and so on so we have in a week seen the routine of a whole day. Other than drinks at meal times there does not seem to be a set time for drinks. The staff constantly offer drinks, you can always hear them asking.

Your Mum has you to fight her corner which is great for her but it does not bare thinking about the poor souls who may not have regular visitors. Of all the 20 homes we visited when looking for one, all but one had all boxes ticked on their inspection reports and in my opinion only 5 or 6 warranted full marks. It did make me wonder how high was the standard being set? Unfortunately, standard of care can only be judged once in residence. I do hope you get it sorted and get an apology and a promise that something like this will not happen again.

Jay.

 

[KAnne]

Mum has Alzheimers. Her DP died suddenly a couple of months ago and me and DSIS had to put mum into full time care.

We looked around a number of places close to us- mum lived 200 miles away and thought we had found the right place.

Mum has, for the last couple of years, had to be "coerced" to get out of bed. There is no physical reason to stay in bed but I think she feels safe there. She also has history of refusing to eat. This has continued, on and off, at the care home. They normally manage to get her up at some point. My sis or myself go most days and she always gets up when we arrive. I take her out for the day and she always eats her meals then.

Now usually, one of the carers will come and find me if they have concerns about mum not eating, because she will eat for me. She has been much better for the last couple of weeks, getting up and going to the dining room for her meals. Today when I arrived at 3pm mum was still in bed. It was clear she had not got up at all. Her breakfast, a slice of toast, was still at the side of her bed untouched. Along with a stone cold cup of tea. I know if anyone had been in to offer lunch or a fresh cup of tea the toast would have gone and there would have been some covered sandwiches if she hadn't got up for lunch.

I went into her bathroom. Oh God there was poo splattered everywhere. All over the seat, the floor, I tried and couldn't flush away what was in the bowl, so much stuff it had blocked! Her dirty underwear was in the sink with a dirty flannel that she had used to try and clean herself with. In the bedroom were her trousers from yesterday, also covered in dried poo.

I got mum up and dressed and sat her in the day room and went to find a carer. She, the carer, had just come on duty, she couldn't tell me if mum had eaten anything, I told her about mums accident and she got it all cleaned up. Then she found there were no sheets on mums bed. She apologised. DD then needed the loo and went into mums bathroom. When she flushed everything came back up. I can only think that mum had had dreadful diahorrea.

But it was clearly yesterday. And no one noticed. Anything. Til I reported it at 3.30 today. Tell me that's not right.

I might have gone straight to get the floor manager when I found my mum in this state and have her see the reality, mum in bed, the bathroom, left breakfast etc., the impact starts lessening in proportion to how much you've sorted yourself, like getting your mum up and dressed and in the dining room for instance

Could they argue she'd had a sandwich and someone forgot to move the toast, could they argue the mess in the bathroom wasn't that old (it does dry pretty quickly) could they say they don't force residents to get up (my mums short stay one used to say that)...however, it's very unsettling to think this might be typical of anyone in there who has nobody looking out for them
If you make an immediate complaint via the CQC., the home will likely know it's you, do you mind that?

My mum can get in a similar state to this in a very few hours honestly, any toilet accidents etc., are compounded by the dementia patient because they can't do a thing to clean it up and make matters worse - I have found soiled pads all over the place and the bathroom in a right mess, cold drinks, mum wet and lying there and that's just in a couple of hours of being alone, if the timing's bad - with the best will in the world, it's impossible to keep fully on top of at every second of the day

Of course, it shouldn't really happen in a care home - just a few thoughts on the matter but I feel for you and your mum

 

[Downnotout]

I get what you are saying KAnne.

I suppose they were my thoughts at first. I was willing to give them the benefit of doubt. But after flushing the loo after it had been cleaned and everything coming back up, I know that it had been more than one visit to the loo. The dirty underwear in the sink that mum had tried to wash was completely dry, which meant it had been there some hours. The filthy trousers were from the day before.

I know something was not right because I couldn't find a member of staff on mums floor for half an hour, no one was about. Lots of the call alarms were beeping away for ages and no one was coming. When I did manage to locate a carer, a really lovely girl who has been great, she said she had just come on duty and was clear that she had not been given any info about mum still being in bed and not having eaten. Normally they know all these things.

Also, now I think about it, I decided to take mum out for a walk to get some exercise and fresh air, hoping to perk her up a bit. I called the lift and it came down with the medicine trolley in but no member of staff. I sent it back up again and waited a few minutes then called the lift again, and it came back still with the trolley in. Eventually, after repeating this a few times the staff member came racing down the stairs apologising. It's only 2 floors by the way, not a huge rambling place. So I think that all adds up to them being short staffed yesterday. But it's still no excuse is it. Not if proceedures weren't being followed.

 

[KAnne]

I get what you are saying KAnne.

I suppose they were my thoughts at first. I was willing to give them the benefit of doubt. But after flushing the loo after it had been cleaned and everything coming back up, I know that it had been more than one visit to the loo. The dirty underwear in the sink that mum had tried to wash was completely dry, which meant it had been there some hours. The filthy trousers were from the day before.

I know something was not right because I couldn't find a member of staff on mums floor for half an hour, no one was about. Lots of the call alarms were beeping away for ages and no one was coming. When I did manage to locate a carer, a really lovely girl who has been great, she said she had just come on duty and was clear that she had not been given any info about mum still being in bed and not having eaten. Normally they know all these things.

Also, now I think about it, I decided to take mum out for a walk to get some exercise and fresh air, hoping to perk her up a bit. I called the lift and it came down with the medicine trolley in but no member of staff. I sent it back up again and waited a few minutes then called the lift again, and it came back still with the trolley in. Eventually, after repeating this a few times the staff member came racing down the stairs apologising. It's only 2 floors by the way, not a huge rambling place. So I think that all adds up to them being short staffed yesterday. But it's still no excuse is it. Not if proceedures weren't being followed.

ah, well the signs were there then that your mum had been left quite a while, alone, it's obviously unacceptable. Medicine trolley in the lift! bloody hell, that's terrible, sounds like someone was about to travel with it and got called away - short staffing is such a problem in care homes, it could all be so very much better but these places are often a business and there to make a profit, it irritates me no end!

What are you going to do Downnotout? you could speak to the manager and put an annonymous critique on CQC, (i've done that before) and keep a close eye out - you did say your mum was showing signs of being settled, before this debacle?

 

[Downnotout]

I've just spoken to our local Alzheimer's Society. They want me to go in to see them immediately. They say it's neglect and absolutely have to inform social services. She said it is her duty to report it as this was against everything that a care home is meant to provide.

Oh dear, I'm scared now. Mum had settled and moving her will really upset her but it's clear I can't, and won't be able to leave her there. I'm so upset. This disease is so horrible already and will certainly get much worse. I don't know how I'm going to be able to protect her from what's to come.

 

[ggma]

Sorry you are scared, try to look on this as positive, there may be a good outcome.

If the home is put on special measures, as it sounds it needs to be, then there will be extra input by NHS and Social Services and CQC and it could well mean that there will be an improvement for all the residents, which is what you would want.

Have a look at alternatives, so you know what you like, but also see if action is taken and things improve as well, this will give you some choice and options.

Hope it is sorted out for the sake of all the residents.