Care home do not provide medical care?

fortune

Registered User
Sep 12, 2014
146
0
My mum is in a very nice care home - in the dementia unit, and I am hoping she will settle in and stay there. However I am amazed that they provide no nursing care whatsoever beyond doling out prescribed medication. So any small medical tasks have to wait for the district nurse and anything more serious they call in the GP or dial 999. Mum had a simple dressing on her toe (from an ingrown toenail) and I had to go in and change it myself as they were not allowed to do anything to it themselves. Is this a common arrangement in care homes?
 

karaokePete

Registered User
Jul 23, 2017
6,534
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N Ireland
I don't yet have experience of Care Homes but know that there are types that differ from Residential to Nursing etc. They employ different staff and provide different facilities.

Maybe this is the issue that is now causing problems for you.

I hope others with more experience than myself will be along to advise.
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
25,018
0
South coast
Yes, that is quite true. If you need a nurse on the premises, then what you need is a Nursing Home, not a Care Home. This difference between the 2 is that in a Nursing Home there is always a qualified nurse on duty (because they do nursing), but there isnt in a Care Home (because they are providing care) and they rely on District Nurses and the GP - just like you would in your own home.
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
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London
It's quite simple: nursing home - nursing care, care/residential home - no nursing care.
If your mother usually does not have nursing needs, she is better placed in a residential home - there are more of them around and they can be cheaper.
 

Toony Oony

Registered User
Jun 21, 2016
576
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Yep that sounds about right - my Mum is in a Care home. She frequently needs a dressing on her shin as the skin there is very friable and prone to breaking open. Every time they have to wait for the Nurse to come and assess and then change the dressing each week. The other day she had blood trickling down her leg, and so I insisted they at least put a plaster on until the Nurse visited. The carers get frustrated not being allowed to put another dressing on. Nurse visits a couple of times of week, but one shower and the dressing comes unstuck!

I often chat to the care staff and I was fascinated as to what they are allowed to do, and what they cannot. Evidently they CAN cut nails if the resident has their own nail clippers, but they cannot pluck hairs. Not an issue as I do both for Mum.
 

fortune

Registered User
Sep 12, 2014
146
0
This place is described as a care home with a specialised dementia care unit, which is where she is. Think I'll have to go and look what else is available locally that might suit better. Thanks all for your answers.
 

fortune

Registered User
Sep 12, 2014
146
0
As an afterthought it does seem ridiculous to expect that a place full of 80+ year olds with dementia are not going to need some nursing now and then.
 

Rosettastone57

Registered User
Oct 27, 2016
1,839
0
My mum is in a very nice care home - in the dementia unit, and I am hoping she will settle in and stay there. However I am amazed that they provide no nursing care whatsoever beyond doling out prescribed medication. So any small medical tasks have to wait for the district nurse and anything more serious they call in the GP or dial 999. Mum had a simple dressing on her toe (from an ingrown toenail) and I had to go in and change it myself as they were not allowed to do anything to it themselves. Is this a common arrangement in care homes?
My mother-in-law was in a care home with a specialized dementia unit and this in fact was normal practice. As she did not require any nursing care simply social care this was never really much of an issue. The care home had to call in the GP or a district nurse if anything further was needed
 

Jaded'n'faded

Registered User
Jan 23, 2019
5,259
0
High Peak
There was a thing on the news yesterday about a project where GP surgeries 'buddy up' with care homes and the GP visits regularly (whether needed or not!) to see the residents, monitor meds, etc. Everyone was very positive about this as the GP got to know the residents better and visits to hospital are reduced. It's also much better for continuity of care.

I think I've been incredibly lucky with mum's care home. I had no idea at the time as I had to choose in a hurry but I've since realised my choice was a fortunate one. The care home was the pet project of the local GP and his wife (also a GP), now long retired, and was put together with continuity of care in mind. At one end there are flats (for sale) for assisted living. The home itself takes residential and nursing residents. (There are also a couple of younger people with major care needs - possibly due to head injury, though I rarely see them.) The idea is that once there, a person will not need to move even if their needs change. Mum does not have nursing needs currently but there's a nurse there 24/7 if she does and many residents are bed bound or have more serious medical problems.

So hats off to the good doctor. The place has now been sold to one of the large chains but still covers the same wide range of needs, which means mum can remain there for the rest of her life. I really feel for people who have to move their PWD - must be a nightmare.
 

Witzend

Registered User
Aug 29, 2007
4,283
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SW London
As an afterthought it does seem ridiculous to expect that a place full of 80+ year olds with dementia are not going to need some nursing now and then.

Though out of my 3 relatives who eventually needed 24/7 care (my mother, an aunt and FiL) only my FiL ever needed an actual nursing home, and that was only towards the end. And they were all over 80 when they went in - my mother was in fact 89.
As a pp has pointed out, homes with a qualified nurse always on duty are usually rather more expensive.
 

cing56

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
3
0
My mum recently moved into a care home for dementia patients. A few months before, when she was living with me, we had gone through the assessment process for Continuing healthcare funding, on the advice of her community dementia nurse. She was not awarded that funding,(which covers all costs in a home), but we were informed she qualified for nursing care, which is about £158 a week. However, we were told this would only come into effect if she moved into residential care. This April she moved into care and, although the home seemed to think we might get the nursing care funding, we were again told no, because it is not a nursing home and nursing would be done by the district nurse.
And then, a week or so ago, I recieved another bundle of documents as she had been assessed again. It said we'd been receiving the nursing funding since last year. (We've not had a penny).
I know money is tight but I do feel that a dementia home needs a nurse on site. Today my mum had a fall just before I arrived to see her. I was told the district nurse would be round. However, I later discovered she couldn't make it as she was too busy. They have told me they will call a doctor as there are definite issues with her leg injuries, but it worries me that it's easy to just ignore these people as they fall asleep and forget their problems.
I have been very happy with the care home until today, but now feel I have to keep my eyes open to insist mum gets the medical care she needs.
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,075
0
Bury
we were informed she qualified for nursing care, which is about £158 a week. However, we were told this would only come into effect if she moved into residential care.
FNC (funded nursing care) can only be paid when there is a nurse on duty 24/7

I recieved another bundle of documents as she had been assessed again. It said we'd been receiving the nursing funding since last year. (We've not had a penny).
Interpret that as 'eligible for' FNC

Note that several nursing homes discount their fee by the FNC meaning you won't see a reduction applied.
 

Sirena

Registered User
Feb 27, 2018
2,324
0
I know money is tight but I do feel that a dementia home needs a nurse on site. Today my mum had a fall just before I arrived to see her. I was told the district nurse would be round. However, I later discovered she couldn't make it as she was too busy. They have told me they will call a doctor as there are definite issues with her leg injuries, but it worries me that it's easy to just ignore these people as they fall asleep and forget their problems.
I have been very happy with the care home until today, but now feel I have to keep my eyes open to insist mum gets the medical care she needs.

Nursing dementia care is considerably more expensive than dementia residential. My mother has had several falls at her care home in the past 15 months (three requiring a trip to hospital), also a UTI and a gastric problem, all were dealt with promptly and I don't feel an on-site nurse would have made much difference, the carers know residents well enough that they note any change of behaviour which could be due to pain and are very proactive at ensuring my mother is comfortable. It's early days but hopefully as time goes on you will become more confident that the carers are alert to any problems.
 

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