DoLs

[blodders]

Advice Needed Please
Hi. Can anyone advise me please? My Mother has been in a nursing home for nearly 6 years. She has advanced Dementia and is now approaching the end of her life. She is bed bound and sleeps most of the time and has been unable to communicate for about 2-3 years. I had been told by the home a few weeks ago that new laws state all residents must be assessed re DoLs. Today (New Years Day) a psychiatrist arrived at the home and said he had come to do an assessment of my Mother's capacity. I told him that my Mother is dying but he insisted he had to do it. He stood over her, told her she had dementia, that she was in a nursing home for people with dementia, that he was a psychiatrist and then asked her many questions such as did she know where she was, what was the date, name of the town etc. It was the most bizarre, intrusive and upsetting experience at this stage of her life. Has anyone else had this experience? Does it need to be done when someone is dying and what are the implications? Any advice would be really helpful. Thank you.

 

[2jays]

It's is upsetting but thank fully mum doesn't remember the "meeting"

Yes it's the law now - I guess (heartlessly) care home getting their paperwork sorted before it maybe questioned.

So sad and painful. Hugs xx


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

 

[nitram]

It is the law now and one implication is that the coroner has to be informed if anybody subject to a DOL dies. This does not automatically mean a PM or inquest.

 

[blodders]

Thank you

It's is upsetting but thank fully mum doesn't remember the "meeting"

Yes it's the law now - I guess (heartlessly) care home getting their paperwork sorted before it maybe questioned.

So sad and painful. Hugs xx


Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point

Thank you for replying. I am so saddened and upset by this.

 

[blodders]

It is the law now and one implication is that the coroner has to be informed if anybody subject to a DOL dies. This does not automatically mean a PM or inquest.

Thank you for replying. Referral to a Coroner makes it even sadder.

 

[nitram]

"...Thank you for replying. Referral to a Coroner makes it even sadder..."

This requirement may change.

Conclusions
64.The Chief Coroner’s present view, subject to a decision of the High Court, is
that any person subject to a DoL is ‘in state detention’ for the purposes of
the 2009 Act.
65.When that person dies the death should therefore be reported to the coroner and
the coroner should commence an investigation under section 1.
66.The person is not ‘in state detention’ for these purposes until the DoL is
authorised......


......HH JUDGE PETER THORNTON QC
CHIEF CORONER
5 December 2014

http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/guidance-no16-dols.pdf

 

[Witzend]

Advice Needed Please
Hi. Can anyone advise me please? My Mother has been in a nursing home for nearly 6 years. She has advanced Dementia and is now approaching the end of her life. She is bed bound and sleeps most of the time and has been unable to communicate for about 2-3 years. I had been told by the home a few weeks ago that new laws state all residents must be assessed re DoLs. Today (New Years Day) a psychiatrist arrived at the home and said he had come to do an assessment of my Mother's capacity. I told him that my Mother is dying but he insisted he had to do it. He stood over her, told her she had dementia, that she was in a nursing home for people with dementia, that he was a psychiatrist and then asked her many questions such as did she know where she was, what was the date, name of the town etc. It was the most bizarre, intrusive and upsetting experience at this stage of her life. Has anyone else had this experience? Does it need to be done when someone is dying and what are the implications? Any advice would be really helpful. Thank you.

That is awful - prime example of the dreaded tick-box culture. I can quite understand why the psych. would need to visit, but surely he could have been satisfied without putting you both through all that.

The horrible cynic in me is wondering just how much a lot of psychiatrists are being paid all over the country for these visits - I'm sure they don't come cheap.

 

[fizzie]

It does have to be done because there are some people who are in care homes and deprived of their liberty who do not need to be. It sounds as though it was the most horrendous experience and it shouldn't be like that but it does have to be done by Law. So so sorry xx