a hypothetical question

elaineo2

Registered User
Jul 6, 2007
945
0
leigh lancashire
Hi all,i have a dilemma.
Lets ay your parent is in my care(i am a care team leader in a residential home).Your parent is admitted to hospital due to unrecognised behaviour and severe mobility problems,non of which have been reported at any time in their 2 year residence in the home.The hospital cannot identify the problem and are being economical with the truth about your parents well being.They want your parent to be discharged,without any diagnosis.Their mobility is very limited and their cognitive pattern is very confused.What would you want me to do?
it's a bit heavy,sorry.
love elainex
 

christine_batch

Registered User
Jul 31, 2007
3,387
0
Buckinghamshire
I would like to see all test that have been done in Hospital. What other test can be done, as they sometimes do not THINK !
See the Manager of the Nursing Home and ask WHY until I received a satisfactory answer. Because there must be something they are not looking for and missing something.
At the Nursing Home on their daily records must have noticed changes. I would expect everyone concerned looking after my loved one to give me answers to put my mind at rest.
Christine
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
What Christine said, but I "might" be colluding with the hospital to get my lvoed out of there - I haven't had very good experiences with hospitals and the elderly and if I thought this might be one of those things (i.e. the body wearing out or winding down) I think I might be quite keen to get my loved one out of there.
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,455
0
Kent
.What would you want me to do?

Elaine...........can I turn it round and ask `what would you expect me to do?

If this is a new symptom, I wouldn`t want you to do anything until the hospital has exhausted all tests.

If all tests proved negative, and the symptoms indicated shut down, I would want you to accept my relative back into the home and care for him/her as long as necessary.
 

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
non of which have been reported at any time in their 2 year residence in the home

that the 2nd time your care home has put you in this kind of predicament , as I am remembering the woman that died last time , God did ant your manger learn from that .
 

zonkjonk

Registered User
Mar 1, 2007
290
0
Melbourne, Australia
well this exactly what happened with my mum
sudden deterioration , falls , hospitalisasion (Sp)
no uti, no stroke, no bloood clot
nothing we can cure, as we find nothing, back to the NH for palliative care
she is
on morphine now
kind regards,
jo
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
0
SW Scotland
Elaine, that is exactly , what happened with John, though a UTI was the cause of his symptoms. But they never identified it.

Hospitals are very reluctant to do a urine culture. They tend to just take a blood sample, say there's an infection, and use a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Not good enough!

I'd be wanting to be sure that all possible tests had been carried out, and appropriate medication tried.

If all that failed, then I would hope that gentle palliative care would be given, with no further intervention.

Just my view.
 

elaineo2

Registered User
Jul 6, 2007
945
0
leigh lancashire
Thanks Everyone,I put it as a hypothetical question because at the moment thats what it is,for now.My sixth sense tells me it will be a question i will be asking a family for real sometime next week.Our hospital is on red alert and have no beds and are apparently sending patients (from care homes) back to the home with no warning.One of our homes had a resident return today on a stretcher,screaming with pain.The ambulance crew said they were following orders.No medication or discharge letter was sent from the hospital for the resident.My fear is that our resident may be treated the same way and end up in a worse condition than before they went into hospital.worrying times for familes and careers.
thanks again elainex
 

nicetotalk

Registered User
Sep 22, 2006
155
0
stretford
Hi all

just bought back what we went through with our mum who sadly passed away last march, while in respite she had yet another fit the doctor was called her doctor that knew her and he said she is very week,you do know what iam getting at he said, meaning she did not have long to live. When addmited to hospital by this time she could not even swollow was chocking, they did a scan of her chest and said all is well she can go back to the care home. Even the care staff knew she would not return back there as she was dying yet the hospital could see nothing wrong with her. I said to the doctor she can not even swollow, oh he said lets keep her in for a few days and see how she goes, 2 weeks later she died. I have said befor on here doctors need to be more aware of this dreadfull illness, because they see nothing medicaly wrong ie, vital organs fine they think they are ok but this is what alzhimers can do to some loved ones it just creeps up and befor you know it the end is near.

take care all

kathy
 

elaineo2

Registered User
Jul 6, 2007
945
0
leigh lancashire
Dear Kathy,the NHS sometimes leave us in limbo,they say the patient is ok to be discharged,we have doubts.I can only say that my point of view,be it my parent or your parent in hospital,they can be economical with the truth.Found that one out when a new resident was admitted to our home and has C.Diff.She didn"t have it in hospital tho!yeah right.30 odd other residents and 32 staff now at risk.it's criminal.
love elainex
 

alfjess

Registered User
Jul 10, 2006
1,213
0
south lanarkshire
Hi

I think I am in more or less, in the same boat, as I have posted before.

Mum is in a psychiatric assessment ward and getting worse everyday.

I visited, spoke to a nurse who said "she has never in her life seen anyone, as agitated as Mum"
I replied, "the consultant has said they may still be able to, turn Mum around and she will go back to a residential care home"

The nurse's respones was "Never"

Unfortunately for us and our loved ones, I am convinced it is all down to finances.

Mum is self funding and I think the consultant will do his d------ to avoid continuing care and of course bed blocking.

Sorry Elaine if I have had a rant on your thread, but I would be grateful to any home if they admitted they couldn't meet Mum's care needs, then maybe she would be placed somewhere appropiate, but again I think it is all down to bums on seats.

Sorry if this wasn't what your thread was about, I may have lost the plot!

Alfjess
 

elaineo2

Registered User
Jul 6, 2007
945
0
leigh lancashire
rant all you like.your comments are justified.I look at things from dads perspective.Which is wrong in my role.hands up!I will dicsriminate on levels of care needed,but for the right reasons,if needs cannot be met i'm up there to make sure residents get the care needed.
i may sound selfish but i am not.
love ela9inex
 

Margaret W

Registered User
Apr 28, 2007
3,720
0
North Derbyshire
Hello everyone

I am concerned that people are not being told the truth.

Aren't I naive?

Are we saying that Care Homes are now dumping grounds for people who should really be in hospital? And if so, do the Care Home staff have nursing qualifications (and the equivalent pay?).

Margaret
 

elaineo2

Registered User
Jul 6, 2007
945
0
leigh lancashire
dear margarita.i can only speak from my experiences,and they are that the staff are not paid or qualified enough to care for nursing and dementia care residents.i am qualified,but i sit on my ar** on the phone all day,it would seem.i wish!!!!!
love elainex
 

alfjess

Registered User
Jul 10, 2006
1,213
0
south lanarkshire
Are we saying that Care Homes are now dumping grounds for people who should really be in hospital? And if so, do the Care Home staff have nursing qualifications (and the equivalent pay?).

Margaret

Hi Magaret
I don't know about the pay, but most of the dementia care home staff do not have nursing qualifications. I phoned several homes to-day with dementia care, although I was assured, that the staff were trained, they were not qualified nurses. I phoned them just to have a back up and to cover my a--


I have been told that, Mum in hospital, has needed, approx 90% of the time, one to one attention from a psychiatict nurse, but at the meeting with the consultant last week, I was told not to terminate the contract with the residential care home, because technically it would leave Mum homeless and he may be able to turn her around enough to go back. He was unsympathetic to the fact that it is costing £670 per week to keep her place there.

After much thought and deliberation, I cancelled the care home contract. I can't imagine mum ever being able to go back to the care home and if she bed blocks, so be it.

My fear is that she will be medicated to keep her calm, when it becomes time for discharge, just to suit the NHS coffers

Another thing I have discovered, is that NHS, contact x amount of beds for continuing care in private homes, managed by some of the big names in healthcare, which I don't think I am allowed to mention here. in this region there sre no NHS owned facilities for dementia.

Maybe I am paranoid

Thanks
Alfjess