Should my mother have been seen ALONE by a DOL ( Deprivation of Liberty) Assessor ??
Mother has Advanced Dementia and is currently on 6 weeks Respite in a Care Home following complete withdrawal from everything - Family and Health she rarely recognized anyone and was confused and spending 24/7 in bed in the dark .
Mother settled in the Care Home instantly. No anxiety or stress issues - rationalizing, in her way, that she was being looked after in a nice hotel and very happy. That was until an Unannounced visit from a DOLs Assessor. I have LPAs for both Finance and Health due to my mothers diminished capacity! I was not informed about this visit. I was not asked about her health or medical diagnosis neither was I asked to support my mother (she is also profoundly deaf) during the visit. I understand that Deprivation of Liberty investigates ' the taking of Liberty' but my mother does not have the capacity to cope with questioning - she cannot sort, manage or make sense of what she is being asked. Consequently this process has left her very agitated, anxious, disturbed and distressed. According to care staff my mother was 'Interrogated' for a whole afternoon with a care assistant present. She cannot, of course, remember the visit but now feels that she has a ' black cloud' over her and doesn't know why. This process has really unsettled her, she is now weeping a lot, repeatedly asking to go home! Asking why she been incarcerated? Is her home being sold? Over and over on a constant loop!
I am very angry about the upset this has inflicted upon my mother and the lack of understanding and consideration given to the fact that she has Advanced Dementia. I feel it is so wrong to subject someone with Dementia to this DOL process and the boorish 'ONE SIZE FITS ALL' questioning technique. The DOL process is definitely NOT in the interests of the individual !!
Mother has Advanced Dementia and is currently on 6 weeks Respite in a Care Home following complete withdrawal from everything - Family and Health she rarely recognized anyone and was confused and spending 24/7 in bed in the dark .
Mother settled in the Care Home instantly. No anxiety or stress issues - rationalizing, in her way, that she was being looked after in a nice hotel and very happy. That was until an Unannounced visit from a DOLs Assessor. I have LPAs for both Finance and Health due to my mothers diminished capacity! I was not informed about this visit. I was not asked about her health or medical diagnosis neither was I asked to support my mother (she is also profoundly deaf) during the visit. I understand that Deprivation of Liberty investigates ' the taking of Liberty' but my mother does not have the capacity to cope with questioning - she cannot sort, manage or make sense of what she is being asked. Consequently this process has left her very agitated, anxious, disturbed and distressed. According to care staff my mother was 'Interrogated' for a whole afternoon with a care assistant present. She cannot, of course, remember the visit but now feels that she has a ' black cloud' over her and doesn't know why. This process has really unsettled her, she is now weeping a lot, repeatedly asking to go home! Asking why she been incarcerated? Is her home being sold? Over and over on a constant loop!
I am very angry about the upset this has inflicted upon my mother and the lack of understanding and consideration given to the fact that she has Advanced Dementia. I feel it is so wrong to subject someone with Dementia to this DOL process and the boorish 'ONE SIZE FITS ALL' questioning technique. The DOL process is definitely NOT in the interests of the individual !!