Mum just admitted to hospital on section 2
- Thread starter jolo289
- Start date
Hi @jolo289 and welcome to the forum. The people here are a friendly bunch and will help any way they can.
I'm sorry to hear your mum is in a secure unit. My husband was sectioned under Section 2 last year. I found it a very exhausting, worrying time but with hindsight was the best thing that could have happened.
If the unit is a good one and a specialist dementia unit, you will probably find that the staff will have most things under control. You will be consulted and supported throughout. I would recommend going to any meetings you are invited to if you can. This is a chance to talk to the entire team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists etc. Be open with the doctors and nurses. They are there to help you and your mum.
Things to take - the usual clothes, toiletries etc. I took favourite snacks for my husband and we would eat them in the small garden they had in the centre of the unit. Photos, momentos, scrap books that will help your mum are useful. The room my husband had was locked and only accessible by the staff so things didn't go missing. If your mum likes things like colouring, then take some books and pens. There will be activities that she can join in.
You may find the staff don't like visitors at meal times so avoid those times. This limits the amount of time you can stay. Keep an eye on your mum to see if she is getting tired, then leave quickly without saying too much. The staff will help with this by distracting her as you leave.
My main advice is keep talking to the staff. Get to know them and tell them about your mum - her likes and dislikes etc. After seven weeks I made good friends with some of the staff and one, in particular, was amazing. If your mum is able to go out, take advantage of that. You may have to have a member of staff with you while she is sectioned but they remain discreet. I found that a life-saver.
I'm sorry to hear your mum is in a secure unit. My husband was sectioned under Section 2 last year. I found it a very exhausting, worrying time but with hindsight was the best thing that could have happened.
If the unit is a good one and a specialist dementia unit, you will probably find that the staff will have most things under control. You will be consulted and supported throughout. I would recommend going to any meetings you are invited to if you can. This is a chance to talk to the entire team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists etc. Be open with the doctors and nurses. They are there to help you and your mum.
Things to take - the usual clothes, toiletries etc. I took favourite snacks for my husband and we would eat them in the small garden they had in the centre of the unit. Photos, momentos, scrap books that will help your mum are useful. The room my husband had was locked and only accessible by the staff so things didn't go missing. If your mum likes things like colouring, then take some books and pens. There will be activities that she can join in.
You may find the staff don't like visitors at meal times so avoid those times. This limits the amount of time you can stay. Keep an eye on your mum to see if she is getting tired, then leave quickly without saying too much. The staff will help with this by distracting her as you leave.
My main advice is keep talking to the staff. Get to know them and tell them about your mum - her likes and dislikes etc. After seven weeks I made good friends with some of the staff and one, in particular, was amazing. If your mum is able to go out, take advantage of that. You may have to have a member of staff with you while she is sectioned but they remain discreet. I found that a life-saver.
From my experience they will have a program of activities for stimulation.
They should give you a leaflet explaining everything.
Assign a team of people and give you there names for contact purposes.
Who is the nearest relative? They have certain rights, even requesting that section 2 be removed if they feel its not applicable.
Not sure if your unit will have time to be taking individuals outside the unit so I would insist you are able to take them out in the secure garden. Taking patients outside the unit to nearby areas requires lots of form filling for the staff because external boundaries are not covered by section 2. I visited on the ward, but there maybe a visiting room available to avoid distractions from other patients who will have varying levels of mental health issues.
Its a stressful environment if you have never visited such a place.
Also depends if it is organic or non-organic condition.
They should give you a leaflet explaining everything.
Assign a team of people and give you there names for contact purposes.
Who is the nearest relative? They have certain rights, even requesting that section 2 be removed if they feel its not applicable.
Not sure if your unit will have time to be taking individuals outside the unit so I would insist you are able to take them out in the secure garden. Taking patients outside the unit to nearby areas requires lots of form filling for the staff because external boundaries are not covered by section 2. I visited on the ward, but there maybe a visiting room available to avoid distractions from other patients who will have varying levels of mental health issues.
Its a stressful environment if you have never visited such a place.
Also depends if it is organic or non-organic condition.
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Just a thought that worked with my husband who was on a very poor dementia ward for eight weeks, unsectioned. He got a different newspaper every day as his great loves are current affairs, politics and government. Don't think he got further than the pictures and a few headlines, as literacy is failing, but he enjoyed them. Also got cheap adult coffee table type books from high street chain store. Animals, the weather, global beauty spots, the countryside. And monthly magazines of the same types. He got something every visit that tided him over if I couldn't go. Daily papers were thrown out regularly, and books and magazines were removed and rotated to prevent loss and damage. Everything name labelled with thick black sharp indelible marker!
Welcome to Dementia Support Forum @jolo289, and sorry that worries about your mum have brought you here.
I have no experience of secure units but in my experience of care homes it is always a good idea to chat to the staff about how your mum is and maybe see what they say about things to do. My mum had very poor eyesight so visual things such as photos didn't really work, but if your mum's eyesight is OK maybe show her pictures on her phone or take in magazines. My mum always liked clothes and I think we could have go some mileage out of fashion mags. If your mum likes music, maybe play a few of her favourite songs and reminisce about when she used to hear then.
I have no experience of secure units but in my experience of care homes it is always a good idea to chat to the staff about how your mum is and maybe see what they say about things to do. My mum had very poor eyesight so visual things such as photos didn't really work, but if your mum's eyesight is OK maybe show her pictures on her phone or take in magazines. My mum always liked clothes and I think we could have go some mileage out of fashion mags. If your mum likes music, maybe play a few of her favourite songs and reminisce about when she used to hear then.
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When MIL was sectioned- best thing to happen to her as she got the help she needed and eventually moved to an EMI home where she lived quite happily for another 3 years - we gave the unit a copy of the daily diary that we had been keeping for weeks prior to her admission - it detailed everything that had gone on and they found it useful to identify the issues we had been having.
You probably don't have this - we were advised to do it by Carers Resource, they suggested it so that we didn't forget things that had happened when asked about her - but you could probably write down some of the days leading up to the sectioning. In writing it gives everyone the same information to work from.
You probably don't have this - we were advised to do it by Carers Resource, they suggested it so that we didn't forget things that had happened when asked about her - but you could probably write down some of the days leading up to the sectioning. In writing it gives everyone the same information to work from.
Hi jolo my mum has also been admitted to a secure unit this weekend on a section 2 I am visiting tomorrow for the first time. I believe this will be in a separate room off the ward to protect other patients dignity. It is a very worrying time thank you for posting great to read all the advice
