The Care Home is wonderful. The staff are kind and caring, all the residents are beautifully dressed and appear quite happy. Several residents have at various times 'kicked off' and shown quite difficult behaviour which has been dealt with in a calm and pleasant manner by the staff. The whole place is clean, warm and welcoming and I cannot believe how lucky I am to have got him a place there. I have spent hours and hours each day with Ken and just cannot speak too highly of the level of care and the welcome feeling of the place.
However this week has been very stressful as you can guess. Ken is back to the old habit of hallucinating me from other lady residents. This is the one thing we didn't want! The consultant warned me that if the staff can't cope with this and he upsets the other residents too much, then he will have to go back on the ward. Yesterday was particularly difficult for me as I actually saw this happening. I arrived on the little car space which is opposite the dining room, just as they were having lunch. I could clearly see Ken through the window get up from his seat, march over to a little old lady and try to get hold of her. I dashed out of the car and tapped on the window to him. He was very confused and when I went into the home he wasn't sure who I was! I think this was the lowest point for me this week.
When Ken was in hospital last November the Consultant on the ward sent him 2 days each week from the ward to be assessed at a day care centre because she wanted to see if he still had the hallucination problem when in a different environment. The hospital staff then stopped his lunchtime medication because they couldn't be bothered to put it in a correctly labelled container which I could then take to the Day Care Staff.
I could see that he did need his lunchtime medication as he became very upset and anxious at that time of the day and when he stopped going to the day care centre I asked them to reinstate this. The Ward Manager told me he was being given extra in the mornings and in the evenings instead and didn't need it at lunchtime.
Ken had been placed on a section 3 of the Mental Health Act and I could only bring him off the ward for two hours each day. The day after I complained, instead of giving him the medication, they told me that I could now only take him off the ward for 1 hour and only for two afternoons as I obviously couldn't manage him. I quickly learned after this not to ask for anything!!
Today as I arrived at the Nursing home the manager (quite independant of me saying anything) told me that the staff felt he needed a little extra medication at lunchtime!!! She felt that this would help him as he was suffering anxiety attacks around that time each day. I nearly cried with relief and told her the sorry tale of what had happened at the hospital. She wasn't surprised at all but assured me that she would arrange for Ken to have his lunchtime medication reinstated as she could see he was suffering and needed it.
My little moment of fame when I will be 'talking to the nation' about my experiences of getting a good care home will be broadcast on on the Radio 4 'Today' programme any day of the week beginning 28th April between 7am and 9am. The journalist who interviewed me said that he would let me know when he finds out the exact day and time my little piece will be aired.
I'm so relieved that Ken was much calmer today when I left him. It has been a very stressful week for both of us.
xxTinaT
xxTina
However this week has been very stressful as you can guess. Ken is back to the old habit of hallucinating me from other lady residents. This is the one thing we didn't want! The consultant warned me that if the staff can't cope with this and he upsets the other residents too much, then he will have to go back on the ward. Yesterday was particularly difficult for me as I actually saw this happening. I arrived on the little car space which is opposite the dining room, just as they were having lunch. I could clearly see Ken through the window get up from his seat, march over to a little old lady and try to get hold of her. I dashed out of the car and tapped on the window to him. He was very confused and when I went into the home he wasn't sure who I was! I think this was the lowest point for me this week.
When Ken was in hospital last November the Consultant on the ward sent him 2 days each week from the ward to be assessed at a day care centre because she wanted to see if he still had the hallucination problem when in a different environment. The hospital staff then stopped his lunchtime medication because they couldn't be bothered to put it in a correctly labelled container which I could then take to the Day Care Staff.
I could see that he did need his lunchtime medication as he became very upset and anxious at that time of the day and when he stopped going to the day care centre I asked them to reinstate this. The Ward Manager told me he was being given extra in the mornings and in the evenings instead and didn't need it at lunchtime.
Ken had been placed on a section 3 of the Mental Health Act and I could only bring him off the ward for two hours each day. The day after I complained, instead of giving him the medication, they told me that I could now only take him off the ward for 1 hour and only for two afternoons as I obviously couldn't manage him. I quickly learned after this not to ask for anything!!
Today as I arrived at the Nursing home the manager (quite independant of me saying anything) told me that the staff felt he needed a little extra medication at lunchtime!!! She felt that this would help him as he was suffering anxiety attacks around that time each day. I nearly cried with relief and told her the sorry tale of what had happened at the hospital. She wasn't surprised at all but assured me that she would arrange for Ken to have his lunchtime medication reinstated as she could see he was suffering and needed it.
My little moment of fame when I will be 'talking to the nation' about my experiences of getting a good care home will be broadcast on on the Radio 4 'Today' programme any day of the week beginning 28th April between 7am and 9am. The journalist who interviewed me said that he would let me know when he finds out the exact day and time my little piece will be aired.
I'm so relieved that Ken was much calmer today when I left him. It has been a very stressful week for both of us.
xxTinaT
xxTina
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