appropriate trained staff in hospital?

katie1

Registered User
Aug 5, 2014
122
0
Kendal Cumbria
Ward Nurse? Care worker training and qualifications?

Door Supervisor Course – 4 days -
CCTV – 5 days
Security Guarding – 3 day
Door Supervision – 4 day
Close Protection – 14 days
Physical Intervention – 1 to 2 days

Security Training
Counter Terror Awareness – 1 day
Search Operations – 1 to 7 days
Weapons Awareness – 1 day
Escape Skills – 1 day
Conflict Management – 1 day
Steward Training – 4 days
Security Manager Training (Head Door Supervisor) – 2 days
Hand Cuffing – 2 days
Robbery Training – 1 day

Care Sector Training
Conflict Management – 1 day
Physical Intervention Additional Holding – 2 days

Personal Safety
Conflict Management – 1 day
Disengagement Skills- 1 day
Physical Intervention – 2 days
Health & Safety – 1 day
Street Safety - 1 day

Health & Safety
Health & Safety – 1 day
Fire Safety – 1 day
Fire Warden Training – 1 day
Risk Assessment Training – 1 day

So how does this help my Dad exactly? An elderly man of 85 with deteriorating vascular dementia in hospital, who paces and wanders all night and day, who is agitated confused and disorientated, whose condition makes his behaviour more challenging later in the day and at night when he does not sleep, who has no understanding of safety of himself or others, who is scared and muddled. Is this a job for a security guard? No? Well, the ward is so short staffed that they are having to use the security guards to fill in gaps to manage some of the most time consuming and difficult patients. His needs are not being met, today he was in his clean pyjamas that we took in after four days but he must have put them on unsupervised because they were on back to front, it was obvious that he had still not had a shower or bath, when I asked why I was told that because he is up most of the night he is dozing when they are getting everyone showered in the mornings and they haven’t got the staff to do it later……I have asked that they wake him and take him for a shower anyway.
Security Guards keeping an ‘eye’ on patients!!Cut Backs?
 

Adcat

Registered User
Jun 15, 2014
287
0
London
I second Kassy.
However, the press don't care. I sound cynical. Just take a look at the tabloids - celebrity and stick thin women rule this society.
Indeed, I'm not sure anyone cares, that's why our society is in such a mess. There is a lack of love and care and kindness in the very fabric of our society. Care is not glamorous or good looking and certainly not a story that the red tops would bother with.
Let's see who the the most popular red top backs in this election and predict the winner.
If the Murdoch empire took on the care cause we might all be better off.
The NHS is in crisis, social services, adult and children is in crises. Cut backs for the most vulnerable in society is truly shocking but I don't see a the papers screaming about it.
Unless your able to stay with your dad in hospital or provide a one to one carer for your dad your up against the system. Professor June Andrews has dedicated a whole chapter to hospital admission in her most recent book: Dementia, The one stop guide. She advises not leaving relatives with dementia while in hospital.
I sympathise with you. My dad has mixed dementia and I dread him ever needing an admission.
Get onto PALS (patient advice liaison service) and send an email to your MP and Jeremy Hunt.
Take care and keep posting.
 

Kevinl

Registered User
Aug 24, 2013
6,050
0
Salford
I remember my granny back in the 1960's she still thought the war was still going on and kept asking for her gasmask, anything she got her hands on went in her mouth and she wet herself regularly. The fastest way to get a bl**dy good hiding (as we say up north) was to laugh at anything gran did, my mother and aunt were infinitely patient with her, mad as some of the things she said were my dad always agreed with her, caring for her was a family job, how is this relevant you may ask?
The thing was that in common with many of my friends this was how we lived you lived with older relatives in you life if not in your home too, so from day 1 you learned how to live with someone who was "senile" as it was called in those days.
Now less than 60 years later people need to be trained to do something that many/most people my age learned to as part of growing up.
The only thing that's really needed is patience but patience requires time and who working in a hospital has any of that to spare. I won't comment on what they do with their time but they have very little of it to spare for the patients.
K
 

Adcat

Registered User
Jun 15, 2014
287
0
London
I agree with you wholeheartedly Kevini. Patience and care are intertwined. Sadly all our loved ones are vulnerable in hospital settings. Patience requires time. Time boils down to money. Money is political.
 

katie1

Registered User
Aug 5, 2014
122
0
Kendal Cumbria
I second Kassy.
However, the press don't care. I sound cynical. Just take a look at the tabloids - celebrity and stick thin women rule this society.
Indeed, I'm not sure anyone cares, that's why our society is in such a mess. There is a lack of love and care and kindness in the very fabric of our society. Care is not glamorous or good looking and certainly not a story that the red tops would bother with.
Let's see who the the most popular red top backs in this election and predict the winner.
If the Murdoch empire took on the care cause we might all be better off.
The NHS is in crisis, social services, adult and children is in crises. Cut backs for the most vulnerable in society is truly shocking but I don't see a the papers screaming about it.
Unless your able to stay with your dad in hospital or provide a one to one carer for your dad your up against the system. Professor June Andrews has dedicated a whole chapter to hospital admission in her most recent book: Dementia, The one stop guide. She advises not leaving relatives with dementia while in hospital.
I sympathise with you. My dad has mixed dementia and I dread him ever needing an admission.
Get onto PALS (patient advice liaison service) and send an email to your MP and Jeremy Hunt.
Take care and keep posting.

What I've done so far is to send in an e- comment to the care quality commission web site
I am taking Mum to see him most days, it is a journey of about 45 minutes along the motorway but takes longer with parking and walking etc, she has poor mobility and can't face going every day it takes too much out of her,then we join all the rush hour traffic on the way back, so I'm going on my own this afternoon--after ringing the ward this morning to ask if someone can wake him if he is indeed asleep, and supervise him whilst he has a shower washes his hair and puts his pyjamas on the correct way round!
They have started the CHC assessments and a Consultant Psychiatrist came to see us at the visit yesterday about deprivation of liberty, so things are moving slowly. We just want him to be in a suitable Care Home near where we live so we can keep a closer eye on things.
 

Padraig

Registered User
Dec 10, 2009
1,037
0
Hereford
Strange as some may find it when my late wife talked of times passed I knew it was the present for her. Not all bad for me. It was a walk back in 'her world' to happier and simpler times full of fond memories.

During the short period she was in a Nursing Home she often slept for periods. During those periods I got to know many of the patients and enjoyed listening to their tales of times past. Their names are imprinted on my mind: Ester, May, Nester, Burt, just to mention a few. One day after a meal Burt asked "Where do I pay for my meal?" I replied: "You don't have to pay. This is your holiday home, everything is free. The staff are here to take care of all your needs." That did not go down well with one member of staff, the one I referred to as the 'Old Bat'.

Though cameras were not allowed, I took videos of the place and the patients. It was no problem, for the staff were absent for long periods of time. Some of the residents mistook me for one of the staff. Often I could not resist helping.

I reached the stage where I accepted change takes time and still does. My answer was to control what I could, while I could, and not stress myself about the system and the people running it. What do I do with the videos of our experiences on our long AD 'journey'? I converted them into DVDs.
 

love.dad.but..

Registered User
Jan 16, 2014
4,962
0
Kent
I stayed in hospital with dad for 10 days recently to keep him safe and looked after, not everyone can do this I know but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It isn't even down to short staffed or dementia awareness whilst both were shockingly lacking, it is basic common sense which sadly some staff don't have. I would immediately make loud noises if security guards are being used, there is nothing about that situation that makes it acceptable on any level.
 

Adcat

Registered User
Jun 15, 2014
287
0
London
What I've done so far is to send in an e- comment to the care quality commission web site
I am taking Mum to see him most days, it is a journey of about 45 minutes along the motorway but takes longer with parking and walking etc, she has poor mobility and can't face going every day it takes too much out of her,then we join all the rush hour traffic on the way back, so I'm going on my own this afternoon--after ringing the ward this morning to ask if someone can wake him if he is indeed asleep, and supervise him whilst he has a shower washes his hair and puts his pyjamas on the correct way round!
They have started the CHC assessments and a Consultant Psychiatrist came to see us at the visit yesterday about deprivation of liberty, so things are moving slowly. We just want him to be in a suitable Care Home near where we live so we can keep a closer eye on things.

Evening Katie1,
I feel your pain, I really do. The stress of it all must be overwhelming. If you can find the strength please please get onto PALS at the very least. You should be able to leave a voicemail message.
Take care
 

Adcat

Registered User
Jun 15, 2014
287
0
London
I hope your bearing up ok. I just had a thought. Norman Lamb is the minister for care. Here is his email. Norman.lamb.mp@parliament.uk
Let him know your situation. It's amazing what a letter from an MP can do.
Take care and keep posting.