My mum has been sectioned help needed

[Karjo]

My mum was found wandering on sunday morning and taken to A&E. She was upset and could not explain what was happening, and the day deteriorated until she was sectioned. She just wanted to get away and i can't blame her. A&E was distressing but efficient but after that things went downhill. She was taken to an assessment ward which was understaffed and frightened me and mum just wanted to run away and i cant blame her because so did i and we eventually did run away because she could not understand why we wouldnt take her home.The police phoned us they had been called to the ward but we stayed away because we thought it may be best as we could not handle her and thought we were making it worse.
She ended up being taken to an adult pshychiatric unit and we went straight there. she was very distressed and there was a woman who was shouting, lost her temper and pulled the curtains off the window which shocked mum. She had to go onto that unit because there was a D&V outbreak on the lederly ward. The next day when i visited she initially refused to speak to me but eventually came round a bit so i could explain to her they were going to transfer her to an elderly unit in a neighbourin town. I told her itvwould be a change of scenery and they would probably be playing cards there which she loves so she agreed to go.
When we got there she was being man handled by two male staff and a whole lot of other people had come running. Complete mayhem. They then noticed us and took us to the room she had been taken to and told us she had tried to bite the staff whonwere trying to restrain her. We were promptly left with her and i eventually got her calmed down and said we would join the people in the lounge (nobody had spoken to us about what was going on). We went into the loung and i quickly realised that she had probably tried to run away and i didnt blame her. I was trying to tell her just keep calm, keep your head down, do what they say and we would try and get her back asap when another patient hit me. it didnt hurt but the people in the loung were far worse than my mum and i was scared though there were plenty of staff. Another lady exposed herself and all in all i was very frightened. we showed her her room which was just an unmade bed in a cold overlarge impersonal room at the end of a corridor and she said she would not be staying as it was not safe. i felt the same way. the staff reassured us and said she would be safe . I just dont know what delights await if they get the ward in out town free of sickness and she is transferred back.
please someone tell me this is for her own benefit because so far it has been the most frightening thing of her and my life and i dread the rest of the day, i am so scared and can hardly type this.is it some sort of punishment, did i do something wrong orvis there some point here i am just not getting. Whats happening?

 

[Grannie G]

When my husband volunteered to be an inpatient in an assessment unit our son asked what we should expect. The consultant said it was not ideal but was the best they could offer.
It was a nightmare for all of us and my husband was terrified.

However, his problems were sorted as well as they could be. His behaviour was observed 24/7 including how he coped with other people, staff, patients and visitors and medication was prescribed to calm him.

We were all glad to see the back of the place.

Weeks later, we were taken to a dementia cafe with a member of the Mental Health Team. One of the nurses from the unit entered the cafe and my husband not only remembered her but greeted her like a long lost friend.

This incident made me realise the unit could not have been nearly as bad as we thought.

I do hope your mum will benefit from this placement. I know it is the worst time of your life but I hope you will be able to look back and feel it was worth it.

 

[glyn]

Hi Karjo

Our mam had a stroke and was admitted to hospital for 3 weeks ,,,,she came to live with me after she came out ,,,,Mams stroke left her with dementia . After living with me, mam became violent not like mam at all ,,,It was a terrible time for mam not saying what my sister and I went through ,After a year living with me, mam was admitted to a psychiatric unit( a terrible time for all )..
Every time we had a meeting the psychiatrist used to threaten us saying Im going to put your mother on a section ,,,my sister and I were BOTH dumbstruck ....How could he even THINK about putting our 84 years old mam on a section ,,,,,Never been in hospital all her life had a stroke it left her with dementia and this is the treatment mam gets
After lots and lots of meetings with the( heirachy ) every time we were told ( If I want to put your mother on a section I will ) We used to say over our dead body ....until
....We had another meeting with eveybody from the nurse in charge to the OT to the psychiatrist,There must have been a dozen people sitting round the table ..But my sister and I went to PALS and had a lady fighting for our case that Mam should NOT be put on a section ,,,What an excellent outcome ...A section was never mentioned again thankfully
Mam is now in a care home where we visit every day from 10am to 7.30 We feel we have to be there just to make sure mam gets the care she needs
We could write a book about whats happened to mam ,,,,
Karjo its not just you pet .....its the system when one has demetia or alzeheimers You just have to be strong to fight for your loved ones My advice to you is get in touch with your local PALS and have a talk with them and tell them all your worries ,,,theyre very good .
Good Luck to you x

 

[Butter]

my mum has been sectioned three times in her life. Each time we have been grateful because she was in danger before she was sectioned. She attacked people. We thought she might kill our dad. Or we thought he might kill her because they were driving each other mad. One time it took 3 policemen, two social workers the ambulance crew and my dad and two doctors
I can promise you that each time my mum came out of hospital she was better than when she went in. Yes the people in hospital are very very ill. And nowadays they are not sedated as they used to be. Nowadays there are more staff and the staff try to be gentle with people who are fighting them or trying to hurt themselves. My mum has hit other patients and the staff.
It is very very frightening for everybody. but I am sure your mum is very poorly and needs a lot of looking after. They will observe her and they will work out the best treatment. Sometimes that takes a long time. They have to try a treatment, do blood tests, change the treatment a little, do more blood tests.
My mum is now safely in a care home where she is better than she has ever been. This is because her medication is controlled and she is taking the right pills at the right time. She is better than she has ever been in my whole life.
I am sure your mum will settle in time. The staff sound as if they have tried to explain things to you. I think you should make a list of the questions you have. And when you visit next you can ask the staff the questions.
Sometimes when my mum was in the locked acute assessment unit old patients used to come back to be let in and they would have a cup of tea with the staff. Then they would go home again. It really was a happy place. People got better.