Businesses selling items to care home residents.

Sds109

Registered User
Sep 17, 2016
8
0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
My mother is currently In respite in a care home. She has Alzheimer’s dementia with obvious cognitive impairment. . Apparently a couple of weeks ago someone cane into the home selling clothes to the residents and my mother bought three jumpers that were delivered today. I have just been told she has to pay £65 for these items. No one informed her next of kin they were having a clothes sale or that my mother had bought these items until my sister visited today and was presented with the bill Bu one of the carers. The clothes dont even fit her!
 

Izzy

Volunteer Moderator
Aug 31, 2003
73,928
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72
Dundee
My goodness, that doesn’t sound right. If I were you I would be asking for a meeting with the care home manager to ask for an explanation! I think I‘d also be asking for the company to take the items back.
 

MartinWL

Registered User
Jun 12, 2020
2,025
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67
London
This all depends on whether she has capacity to buy clothing. Does she understand what she's doing? However, capacity or not, it is very dubious for the care home management to permit salesmen in the home, all the residents are likely to be vulnerable in some way or other.
 

Jessbow

Registered User
Mar 1, 2013
5,659
0
Midlands
I think it depends.
If not all the residents have dementia , I dont think its unusual for homes to have these kind of events, Absolutely no reason why residents that do have capaity shouldn't attend and make purchases in what ammounts to a Pop up shop.

Providing the jumpers have not been worn I'd just send them back.
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
24,920
0
South coast
Assuming that this is not a dementia care home and is predominantly a residential home for the frail elderly, Im with @Jessbow over this. If you are in a care home with poor mobility so that its hard to go shopping, being able to purchase clothing in your care home could be a real boon

Id have a word with the manager and just return them. If she is likely to be there again for respite ask at the beginning that she doesnt make any purchases.
BTW, I think the fact that she chose items that didnt even fit her shows that she did not have capacity to choose them.
 

Sds109

Registered User
Sep 17, 2016
8
0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Thank you everyone for your feedback. My mother was transferred to the care home after being discharged from hospital following a stroke. It was decided she needed support as she no longer is able to recognise risks and cope with problem solving. I agree that residents of care homes should be able to buy things they don’t have access to themselves. But no one at the home checked to see if mam has enough money to buy these items. She is not able to manage her money - either cash or bank card. I am going to ring the home tomorrow and explain the items need to be returned as they are not suitable.
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
24,920
0
South coast
no one at the home checked to see if mam has enough money to buy these items. She is not able to manage her money - either cash or bank card.
She probably hadnt been there long enough for staff to realise, and the assumption is always that they have capacity until demonstrated otherwise - especially if she staying in a home where others do have capacity. Its always a good idea to take a copy of the POA to put in the care homes records, so that care homes are aware that they no longer have capacity and someone else is managing their finances.
 

Sds109

Registered User
Sep 17, 2016
8
0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
my mistake then as I assumed her needs and limitations would have been passed onto the care home by her social worker and the hospital team when she was transferred.
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
24,920
0
South coast
my mistake then as I assumed her needs and limitations would have been passed onto the care home by her social worker and the hospital team when she was transferred.
Well you would hope so, but unfortunately communication from SS and hospitals is seldom good at the best of times, so you do have to take the initiative yourself.
Dont let this put you off further spells of respite.
xx
 

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
24,920
0
South coast
So I rang the cafe home who said she bought them at a clothes party in the came home and that i have to contact the company direct to organise the return.
Yes. I think you are thinking of this as the care home selling the items, but it is actually that the care home has organised a "pop-up shop" on the care home premises. You will need to return the items in exactly the same way as if they had been bought from (for example) M&S. Has the care home given you the details of the company?
 

Sds109

Registered User
Sep 17, 2016
8
0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
But as my mother does not have the cognitive skills to go through the process of returning goods…… thankfully she has family to help her do this. But what if she didn’t.
 

Jaded'n'faded

Registered User
Jan 23, 2019
5,248
0
High Peak
If the care home allowed this company in to sell their goods to residents, they should also deal with any fallout. Honestly - I would hand the jumpers back to the manager and insist they sort it out. It's hardly a problem as no money has changed hands.

The point is, you left your mum in their care and they really should be more aware of the abilities of their residents and make sure those without capacity are not put in this position. Don't forget, the care home will have received some financial recompense for allowing the company to come in and sell their stuff, so they definitely have some responsibility. As you say, what happens to people without family to sort things out?
 

Sds109

Registered User
Sep 17, 2016
8
0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
So care home rang today asking again for payment for clothes. I explained that I had already told the clothes sellers a week ago that not wanted. They sounded shocked. Sent text to the seller saying we had had call from care home and still waiting for return. Seller said would pick up Thursday but for “obvious” reasons would not except rerun of clothes had been worn. I asked why the clothes still hadn’t picked up even though they said they would collect friom my mother? Have had no replay.
 

DreamsAreReal

Registered User
Oct 17, 2015
476
0
Have you thought about contacting Trading Standards for advice? I think it’s outrageous that you’re having to deal with this sort of nonsense.