Care company pulling care out

[HelpInOut]

Regarding record keeping, this is all done electronically via a system called " CareLine live "
Medications are listed individually for each visit and the options for carers to select include "completed" , "done by family" , " REFUSED, "sleeping" , " nausea" etc etc , and there appropriate codes eg C , F, S etc etc

Additionally , the personal or otherwise care tasks are listed, but just as one task, so for eg this is the " task" for Dad in AM.

requires carers to support with a full body wash ON MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAYS •Escort Mr .... into the bathroom to carry out assist washing,dressing and prompt toileting needs, please use the disposable hygiene wipes and waterless skin cleanser for intimate areas. • Carers to please check around the bottom cheeks, top of thighs, belly folds and groin areas and these to be thoroughly cleaned. •carers are required to wash and cream Mr ......legs every morning •Mr... will require supervision prompt and assist with dental hygiene/oral care •Each morning call a shave is to be provided wet or dry •medication assist is needed, •then apply cream to the legs as prescribed by the District Nurse or GP •support stockings need to be put on, •careline pendant must be worn •cleaned glasses and hearing aids to be worn, • Carers to follow Speech and language therapy swallowing guidelines (3 1/2 scoops of thickener into the water jug and filled) (1 scoop of thickener in the tea mug).Carers are to encourage Mr ....with fluids and make sure he is left with a glass of water which has thickener added •prepare breakfast and serve drinks hot/cold with thickener added •ensure the blinds and curtains are opened. •turn back bed clothes and leave tidy • Carers to please document in notes if.....coughs whilst having a drink •ALL CARERS PLEASE CONFIRM AND RECORD MR ....IS WEARING HIS HEARING AIDS IF HE IS NOT FOR ANY REASON PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE !!!!!!!!06:45 - 11:00​

Thats one big task !

There's also a place for carers notes and a departure note. Interestingly , when Dad tipped over backwards on the perching stool when carer was transferring him recently, despite the fact that he had a lump on his head and pain across his upper chest and he has osteoporosis and takes Apixaban ( blood thinner ) the carer's departure note was " all ok"

Similarly, Mums domestic care tasks are just one big essentially unpunctuated paragraph containing about 5 different tasks that are the same for every day of the week.
For all of her visits from August through to mid December , the code is "C", regardless of what they wrote in their notes or what they did or didn't do.

This is despite the director in November cancelling 6 weeks of charges because she agreed that doing nothing and documenting " nothing required" wasn't an option ( and admitting that they hadn't been doing anything at all for any of the 30 minute visits) and telling me she would be monitoring the situation closely going forward.

 

[Shedrech]

hi @HelpInOut
I appreciate your exasperation and frustration at this whole situation
I wish I could think of something that would help

sorry if you've already done this, maybe the Support Line will have some suggestions for you

Dementia Support Line

If you need dementia support, we’re here for you. Get personalised information, support and advice by calling us on 0333 150 3456.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

 

[Moggymad]

I agree with you that the council dont audit the account. I remember ringing SS one time during the early days of mums care package to let them know about some missed lunchtime visits, as me being conscientious thought they would want to know so as to ensure the care agency wasnt overcharging. Nooo!!
The response I got was not that I was trying to be helpful, it was questioned whether i was making a complaint or was I happy to continue. I realised then that no back checking occurs & our council could be being ripped off left right & centre. No wonder they never had enough money. Mum paid the same proportion of the bill to SS regardless so the loss was theirs…that’s when I reduced my expectations!
I asked one of the better carers if she was interested in doing housework privately for mum as a separate arrangement. As mum already knew her it worked ok for a while but I felt the flat never got a proper clean as her focus was still on mum. Eventually we got a private lady to do housework who did a brilliant job once a week with the carers still doing their normal care jobs which included making bed wiping kitchen counter & cleaning toilet accidents. We introduced cleaner as a family friend who was there when carer arrived but stayed for 2 hours.
We currently have a private care agency once a day for my FIL. It’s going ok, they do wipe kitchen over every day & some will clean bathroom but it seems to depend on who it is. Would be nice now & again if the hoover was used or kitchen floor mopped but although they can do light household tasks my impression is they are employed as carers not cleaners.
I wish you the best of luck, it is such a frustrating time when all you want is for someone to do what you would do if you could.

 

[Rosettastone57]

The app that my mother in law's care agency used had the various tasks laid out in bullet points so the carers just ticked off each one. I used to get very little in the way of notes written up. When I queried this with the manager, she said the carers simply didn't have time to write up details, they were time constraints in that they were rushing off to the next visit. Not entirely satisfactory of course, but I really didn't get very far with it

 

[Frank24]

Reading this thread I have to say I think that some of the advice HelpInOut has been given feels harsh. I also had domestic services from a care agency rather than a cleaner - as not all cleaners are equipped to deal with dealing with PWD. I can also feel the stress and anger coming through in your posts HelpInOut. I can really relate to that feeling and I wasn't dealing with x 2 parents - really hard. I was lucky - the lady my mum had for her "domestic hour" was amazing... even if my mum didn't want her to do anything - she would make suggestions - clean out shelves sort out the fridge.. she was just brilliant. She also found my mum on the floor having a health crisis that was quite major and was brilliant dealing with that - called the ambulance and cleaned up as much as she could. All services are under pressure at the moment as we all know... but I think this service user should be able to offload here - and why should you accept this level of care? Because there is nothing better? If everyone accepted poor standards no one would ne held to account. My father in law is currently paying £28 for an hour of care services. This is a lot of money to someone on a pension. the jobs should be done OR the care company should explain the customers expectations are unrealistic. Also you do get angry and stressed dealing with this sort of situation when your parents are ill - especially when people are saying your in the wrong... I think most of us on here can relate... x

 

[HelpInOut]

The app that my mother in law's care agency used had the various tasks laid out in bullet points so the carers just ticked off each one. I used to get very little in the way of notes written up. When I queried this with the manager, she said the carers simply didn't have time to write up details, they were time constraints in that they were rushing off to the next visit. Not entirely satisfactory of course, but I really didn't get very far with it

Well that sounds like a far better way of doing it with each individual care need and task ( I hate that word, it should be caring activity or something ) documented and carers able to mark each one as complete or refused or family done etc. It's the way I would say a " care plan" ( if that's what that paragraph of tasks is supposed to be. Its not like any nursing care plan I've ever written or seen) should be written. There aren't many notes at all. One tick and a C for completed for that whole paragraph, but then he'd not have hearing aids in , or hadn't even been offered the opportunity to wash hands / face or any personal areas , or brush his teeth.
Doesn't alter the fact that with mum they were noting "nothing required" but marking as C completed . If she was refusing then they should have been marking as R for refused ,and when it went on for 14 weeks the management should have been informed or alerted or dine something other than just billing the local authority and then Mum.

 

[HelpInOut]

Reading this thread I have to say I think that some of the advice HelpInOut has been given feels harsh. I also had domestic services from a care agency rather than a cleaner - as not all cleaners are equipped to deal with dealing with PWD. I can also feel the stress and anger coming through in your posts HelpInOut. I can really relate to that feeling and I wasn't dealing with x 2 parents - really hard. I was lucky - the lady my mum had for her "domestic hour" was amazing... even if my mum didn't want her to do anything - she would make suggestions - clean out shelves sort out the fridge.. she was just brilliant. She also found my mum on the floor having a health crisis that was quite major and was brilliant dealing with that - called the ambulance and cleaned up as much as she could. All services are under pressure at the moment as we all know... but I think this service user should be able to offload here - and why should you accept this level of care? Because there is nothing better? If everyone accepted poor standards no one would ne held to account. My father in law is currently paying £28 for an hour of care services. This is a lot of money to someone on a pension. the jobs should be done OR the care company should explain the customers expectations are unrealistic. Also you do get angry and stressed dealing with this sort of situation when your parents are ill - especially when people are saying your in the wrong... I think most of us on here can relate... x

Thank you.
I agree especially with your comment regarding some cleaners not being comfortable with or being able toj cope with someone who has memory problems and somewhat challenging behaviour.
So right to say that accepting poor standards is no way to improve things.

Apart from anything else, I've had 4 years of my mother arguing with me and refusing to accept help or have any awareness of risk and acting in an ungrateful manner, never being the one to day sorry or pick the phone up and telling me to stop being a nurse and be a daughter.
She even told me I was like my paternal grandmother who she detested. That was long before dad broke his hip or was diagnosed with dementia when my husband and I spent 2 weeks getting their house ready to put on the market whilst they were away on a cruise.
If it hadn't been for us they would never have moved from a house with no downstairs loo and a shower over the bath that neither of them could use ( and weren't prepared to have altered) into a bungalow and dad would have been either gone to the house in the sky or in a nursing home by now.
Feb 11 th will be a very interesting day and I'm waiting with baited breath to see what solutions Social services are going to come up with.

 

[HelpInOut]

I agree with you that the council dont audit the account. I remember ringing SS one time during the early days of mums care package to let them know about some missed lunchtime visits, as me being conscientious thought they would want to know so as to ensure the care agency wasnt overcharging. Nooo!!
The response I got was not that I was trying to be helpful, it was questioned whether i was making a complaint or was I happy to continue. I realised then that no back checking occurs & our council could be being ripped off left right & centre. No wonder they never had enough money. Mum paid the same proportion of the bill to SS regardless so the loss was theirs…that’s when I reduced my expectations!
I asked one of the better carers if she was interested in doing housework privately for mum as a separate arrangement. As mum already knew her it worked ok for a while but I felt the flat never got a proper clean as her focus was still on mum. Eventually we got a private lady to do housework who did a brilliant job once a week with the carers still doing their normal care jobs which included making bed wiping kitchen counter & cleaning toilet accidents. We introduced cleaner as a family friend who was there when carer arrived but stayed for 2 hours.
We currently have a private care agency once a day for my FIL. It’s going ok, they do wipe kitchen over every day & some will clean bathroom but it seems to depend on who it is. Would be nice now & again if the hoover was used or kitchen floor mopped but although they can do light household tasks my impression is they are employed as carers not cleaners.
I wish you the best of luck, it is such a frustrating time when all you want is for someone to do what you would do if you could.

Thank you. As you say , councils complaining that they're underfunded for social care , but then never checking , and obviously not being interested in whether they're being ripped off by these agencies.

 

[HelpInOut]

hi @HelpInOut
I appreciate your exasperation and frustration at this whole situation
I wish I could think of something that would help

sorry if you've already done this, maybe the Support Line will have some suggestions for you

Dementia Support Line

If you need dementia support, we’re here for you. Get personalised information, support and advice by calling us on 0333 150 3456.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

Thank you.