Hi all - this will be a rant, you have been warned !!
On sat night mum fell- cut head, trip to a&e, found UTI, sent home with anti-biotics. Monday, new carer turns up -new as in her first week ever as a carer, not just new to us- (old one on hols), dad stays home from work for a few days til she gets used to mum and vice versa, wednesday, dad goes to work, carer struggles to get mum to eat, feels she has a temperature (she didn't, just she sweats a lot, sometimes), panicks, rings agency, agency say call GP to cover her back, GP says, send her back to hospital 'just in case'. Mum admitted, why? not sure... think nurse felt dad wasn't coping at home with her. Stayed at hospital all night so as to let dad get a break, no sleep (though mum slept well!) next day, sent to different ward, get to ward, bed not ready, stuck in corridor, asked which bed it was we were waiting for, it wasn't electric, explained mum is immobile, worried about pressure sores, no worries, we'll put an air matress on it, air matress put on, over hung bed, sides wouldn't go up, mum at risk of falling out, moved to bed anyway as that was all on offer, mattress didn't work properly, mum slumped in it like a bean bag, me at breaking point, cried lots, electric bed found (the effectiveness of tears?!) i asked if a DR would see her.... there wasn't one available. Saturday came, can we see a DR? - not on the weekend unless emergency, this of course, being bank hol weekend means no DR til Tuesday. Mum is fine, no temp, eating well, drinking well, can't go home though as there is no discharge coordinator til Tues. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!
sorry this was a massive rant, just very frustrated.
Makes me think, NHS hospitals are just no place for someone with dementia (unless specialised i suppose), nurses do best but too underesourced. our ward, 6 nurses for 31 beds by day and 3 for 31 by night. lady in bed next to mum also has dementia, but no family to visit, her food is put infront of her and then taken away when she doesn't eat it, she was left without pad change so long today the urine made it to the floor, it is a wonder she has urine, noone ever gives her a drink, the jug remains by bed untouched. between my dad and i we have been by mums bed making sure she is cared for properlly from 7-am til 11pm, otherwise she will be left just like the poor lady in the bed next door. that lady is someones mum, sister, friend or neighbour and it breaks my heart.
also - when mum said she needed the toilet, they shoved a bed pan under her (she yelped). i tried to explain, she won't used that as it is unfamiliar, nurse "she'll have to use it" me, well she won't because she's not used to it, nurse "tell her not to be so silly" IT'S NOT A CASE OF BEING SILLY - she doesn't have the language comprehension for me to explain how to use it!!!
last thing (for those of you i didn't lose already!) - mum was coughing on normal fluids, as a new SLT i asked for thickner for drinks, i was given them, went home at 11pm, arrived back at 7am, glass of unthickened water by mums bed, despite the tin of thickned clearly being right next to the cup.... if she gets Pneumonia i will NOT be happy!!!!!!
thinking of you all,
Suzanna xxx
PS: stupid nurse kept asking me today how long it had been since mum's CVA .... SHE HASN'T HAD A STROKE SHE HAS AD!!!!
On sat night mum fell- cut head, trip to a&e, found UTI, sent home with anti-biotics. Monday, new carer turns up -new as in her first week ever as a carer, not just new to us- (old one on hols), dad stays home from work for a few days til she gets used to mum and vice versa, wednesday, dad goes to work, carer struggles to get mum to eat, feels she has a temperature (she didn't, just she sweats a lot, sometimes), panicks, rings agency, agency say call GP to cover her back, GP says, send her back to hospital 'just in case'. Mum admitted, why? not sure... think nurse felt dad wasn't coping at home with her. Stayed at hospital all night so as to let dad get a break, no sleep (though mum slept well!) next day, sent to different ward, get to ward, bed not ready, stuck in corridor, asked which bed it was we were waiting for, it wasn't electric, explained mum is immobile, worried about pressure sores, no worries, we'll put an air matress on it, air matress put on, over hung bed, sides wouldn't go up, mum at risk of falling out, moved to bed anyway as that was all on offer, mattress didn't work properly, mum slumped in it like a bean bag, me at breaking point, cried lots, electric bed found (the effectiveness of tears?!) i asked if a DR would see her.... there wasn't one available. Saturday came, can we see a DR? - not on the weekend unless emergency, this of course, being bank hol weekend means no DR til Tuesday. Mum is fine, no temp, eating well, drinking well, can't go home though as there is no discharge coordinator til Tues. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH!
sorry this was a massive rant, just very frustrated.
Makes me think, NHS hospitals are just no place for someone with dementia (unless specialised i suppose), nurses do best but too underesourced. our ward, 6 nurses for 31 beds by day and 3 for 31 by night. lady in bed next to mum also has dementia, but no family to visit, her food is put infront of her and then taken away when she doesn't eat it, she was left without pad change so long today the urine made it to the floor, it is a wonder she has urine, noone ever gives her a drink, the jug remains by bed untouched. between my dad and i we have been by mums bed making sure she is cared for properlly from 7-am til 11pm, otherwise she will be left just like the poor lady in the bed next door. that lady is someones mum, sister, friend or neighbour and it breaks my heart.
also - when mum said she needed the toilet, they shoved a bed pan under her (she yelped). i tried to explain, she won't used that as it is unfamiliar, nurse "she'll have to use it" me, well she won't because she's not used to it, nurse "tell her not to be so silly" IT'S NOT A CASE OF BEING SILLY - she doesn't have the language comprehension for me to explain how to use it!!!
last thing (for those of you i didn't lose already!) - mum was coughing on normal fluids, as a new SLT i asked for thickner for drinks, i was given them, went home at 11pm, arrived back at 7am, glass of unthickened water by mums bed, despite the tin of thickned clearly being right next to the cup.... if she gets Pneumonia i will NOT be happy!!!!!!
thinking of you all,
Suzanna xxx
PS: stupid nurse kept asking me today how long it had been since mum's CVA .... SHE HASN'T HAD A STROKE SHE HAS AD!!!!