Missing items of clothing.

[Mark 64]

My Mother in law has been a full time resident of a care home for some time.
Despite buying her lots of new clothes, including a big winter coat we are constantly being told that she needs new clothes.
On visits she is wearing clothes that are blatantly not hers nor do they fit.
Despite marking ALL her clothes with her name and room number items are going missing.
Despite a supposed search, her big padded winter coat has disappeared entirely.
We understand that small items such as socks and underwear can go astray for various reasons but many new, large and clearly marked items are going completely missing.
The homes attitude is "oh well, we've looked, but we can't find them"
We honestly believe that these things are being taken by staff but obviously can't prove it.
What are our rights regarding holding the management of the home responsible for the loss and replacement of these items as we simply CANNOT just keep replacing things?

 

[di65]

I was for ever finding my husband’s wardrobe full of items that were not his. Also his items would be found in other resident‘s wardrobes. Unless the resident’s wardrobes are locked you may find that the residents themselves are moving items around, as they believe that the items are theirs. If the wardrobes are locked, then perhaps you do have an issue. When my husband passed, I left his clothing for the Resthome to use, which was greatly appreciated, as clothing does go missing for many reasons

 

[Bunpoots]

Welcome to the forum @Mark 64

My dad was always dressed in his own clothes at his carehome so it can be done. I once noticed someone else wearing his slippers but they were soon retrieved and returned to him and he frequently lost his glasses - but that’s because he kept taking them off and putting them in random places. I’d occasionally find something which wasn’t his in his wardrobe but very rarely.

Dad was in a small home (only 21 beds) so maybe this helped but I really think the staff should be able to look after your mum in law’s clothes better. Their attitude, to my mind, shows a lack of respect for the residents and their families and I’d be constantly questioning the manager (politely) about why it’s happening when everything is labelled.

Items do go missing in carehomes but it shouldn’t be happening all the time. If you are sure it’s theft then maybe suggest to the manager that the police should be involved.

 

[Suzysheep01]

My mums clothes go missing and she often has other residents clothes in her cupboard. I usually have a quick look through and take any items down to the laundry room.
try having a word with the staff from the laundry. There were items of mums that were kept in the laundry as the name labels had washed off.

 

[northumbrian_k]

Hi @Mark 64 and welcome from me too. Clothing getting mixed up, going astray or apparently being 'lost' is a fairly frequent topic in these forums. It does seem sometimes that staff either don't look at labels or make assumptions about who items of clothing belong to.

Having said that, it is quite a stretch from items going astray to your belief that they are being taken by staff. This is something that needs careful handling, unless you have incontrovertible evidence. If so, then such thefts should be reported to the manager without hesitation or delay. But before it gets to such a serious pitch, it would be a good idea to discuss your concerns with the manager.

Sometimes there can be a good explanation eg my wife's outdoor wear was moved to a separate room to avoid issues of overdressing and dehydration caused by her tendency to pile on layer after layer.

If the manager can't offer a good and satisfactory explanation then you might need to consider escalation via a formal complaint. That's something that one ought not do do lightly.