Hi everyone. Have been desperately trying to help mum fight yet another chest infection but it has been in vain and we ended up rushing off to hospital yesterday, first ambulance dash of the year. We were there all day and night and she still has not got a bed in a ward.
Instead of being relieved I am worried sick now in case she falls, or is ignored or not helped to feed properly. Dad and I will be there as much as poss but we are exhausted from the last fews weeks building up to this.
In the past 3 weeks our usual homehelp has been replaced by a new woman whom I call Godzilla. She appears when she feels like it, (which was 1 of the 7 days she's supposed to come last week) complains that she feels ill, or has a toothache or is in a rush. She said last week, I didn't bother calling in on Wed but I did drive past the house. Hello? Have I missed the introduction of the new home help friendly drive by service? Complaints have been made but no change, until today when I told the boss under no circumstances was the woman to be sent back. I have also been hauling my poor mum up and down stairs for the past year as I am on the "list" for a through the floor lift. After being totally sickened by the whole experience and of rubbish helpers I wrote to my MP and have now created huge amounts of paperwork for all parties concerned (they hate this!) My MP got back to me within 4 days and we are now getting the through the floor lift installed, as I have now learned that my mum is what is known as a respitory cripple and there is no question she could manage stairs. Yet, she has been left for a year to do so. I now have a letter of apology from social services for "the oversight" of mum's case. (This is rubbish as I was told that the team leader of OT said we were not an emergency and could wait our turn, this is what insensed me!)
So to tie up folks, what I'm saying is, I am one person caring for my mother whom has 3 diseases, I also do her physio everyday, I wash and dress her myself, I now also have been doing all of the house work and ironing that Godzilla has been getting paid to do, whilst I have been nursing mum with a cronic chest infection, I have also been battling the social services and writing letters to my MP to get a lift installed. All I can say is where is the help for the carer's? Whom is going to fight our corner? Are they having a laugh at us or what? I for one have had enough of this and am no longer willing to be "Social Services Skivvy" while someone, somewhere is getting paid for all the jobs I am doing. Action is to be taken here soon. As soon as mum is out of the hospital I am going to become the biggest pain in the ass that is it humanly possible to be. I will be creating huge amounts of paperwork for all concerned demanding answers to questions, ****ing people off no end, in short I will become Victor Meldrew. Let's face it, what's going to happen? Will I lose all my helpers? I think not! I have none anyway. I am the Lone Ranger as many of you out there are. But what is really scary is, what happens to the men and women living alone out there relying on these services and having no one to fight their corner? Why are the Social Services and hospitals in such a bloody awful mess? They didn't used to be, did they?
Instead of being relieved I am worried sick now in case she falls, or is ignored or not helped to feed properly. Dad and I will be there as much as poss but we are exhausted from the last fews weeks building up to this.
In the past 3 weeks our usual homehelp has been replaced by a new woman whom I call Godzilla. She appears when she feels like it, (which was 1 of the 7 days she's supposed to come last week) complains that she feels ill, or has a toothache or is in a rush. She said last week, I didn't bother calling in on Wed but I did drive past the house. Hello? Have I missed the introduction of the new home help friendly drive by service? Complaints have been made but no change, until today when I told the boss under no circumstances was the woman to be sent back. I have also been hauling my poor mum up and down stairs for the past year as I am on the "list" for a through the floor lift. After being totally sickened by the whole experience and of rubbish helpers I wrote to my MP and have now created huge amounts of paperwork for all parties concerned (they hate this!) My MP got back to me within 4 days and we are now getting the through the floor lift installed, as I have now learned that my mum is what is known as a respitory cripple and there is no question she could manage stairs. Yet, she has been left for a year to do so. I now have a letter of apology from social services for "the oversight" of mum's case. (This is rubbish as I was told that the team leader of OT said we were not an emergency and could wait our turn, this is what insensed me!)
So to tie up folks, what I'm saying is, I am one person caring for my mother whom has 3 diseases, I also do her physio everyday, I wash and dress her myself, I now also have been doing all of the house work and ironing that Godzilla has been getting paid to do, whilst I have been nursing mum with a cronic chest infection, I have also been battling the social services and writing letters to my MP to get a lift installed. All I can say is where is the help for the carer's? Whom is going to fight our corner? Are they having a laugh at us or what? I for one have had enough of this and am no longer willing to be "Social Services Skivvy" while someone, somewhere is getting paid for all the jobs I am doing. Action is to be taken here soon. As soon as mum is out of the hospital I am going to become the biggest pain in the ass that is it humanly possible to be. I will be creating huge amounts of paperwork for all concerned demanding answers to questions, ****ing people off no end, in short I will become Victor Meldrew. Let's face it, what's going to happen? Will I lose all my helpers? I think not! I have none anyway. I am the Lone Ranger as many of you out there are. But what is really scary is, what happens to the men and women living alone out there relying on these services and having no one to fight their corner? Why are the Social Services and hospitals in such a bloody awful mess? They didn't used to be, did they?
Last edited: