Not enough Beds!!!!

katie1

Registered User
Aug 5, 2014
122
0
Kendal Cumbria
Poor Dad is now about to start week 7 in hospital! he is waiting for a bed in a local nursing home
A hospital is not the place for an elderly man of 85 with dementia, the ward nor its very sparse staff are not equipped for those with dementia, there is nothing to do, no activities no stimulation, just hospital routine......which of course Dad does not fit in to!
He is frustrated bored confused scared disorientated sad and has lost a lot of weight over the last 6 weeks, has had one fall and a number of incontinence issues. He paces and paces like a tiger in a zoo cage that is too small, he feels confined and has been supervised by security guards because there aren't enough staff to keep an eye on his wanderings and the safety issues they pose.
It is not a life it is an existence. There are no beds available in the three local nursing homes, one of which has had a damming cqc report and I don't want him to go there at all!
What do we do now, wait another week? settle him somewhere miles and miles away from us? Mum is 83......she would like to be able to pop in and visit him more often but he is in a hospital over half an hour away plus parking! and getting through a traffic jam and onto a motorway on the way back all takes its toll on her----if he was placed out of the area she would have a similar journey to visit him and may not manage to go as often as she might want to. They should be spending what "time" they have.......together not travelling up and down a motorway, or being tired out.
As I said there are not enough nursing homes for people with dementia, where caring staff can spend quality time with them day and night. One manager of a local nursing home said he could build another home like that one and still have a waiting list the next day. These are real people.....not statistics, they are people who need proper and carefully planned care.
We are an ageing society, we are living longer......don't we deserve better?
 

Bod

Registered User
Aug 30, 2013
1,958
0
Could you find a suitable place for him?
Might be worth a try.

Bod
 

RedLou

Registered User
Jul 30, 2014
1,161
0
My dad's been in a hospital ward since May, katie. (Not in UK.) Just as they found a place for him in a new dementia facility, he had a serious physical set-back and now all the places are taken. So the problem is not confined to this country. Not, I'm sure, that that's any comfort to you.
 

katie1

Registered User
Aug 5, 2014
122
0
Kendal Cumbria
Could you find a suitable place for him?
Might be worth a try.

Bod

Oh Ive been trying but we are going through the NHS CHC fight (oh sorry "process") and it seems to take such a long time. They will not confirm yet if its been granted because "they only make decisions on Tuesdays" (the panel only sits on a Tuesday) so consequently there is a backlog
They will only pay to a "nursing Home" and not to a Care Home because Dad will need mental health nursing according to the mental health report (which I have requested) so that limits us in terms of choice to the two/three local ones. One is full one didn't get a very good CQC report and one admits slowly (fair enough because they like to settle people before introducing new people) they say they would need interim funding for a higher level of 1-1 for Dad and won't be admitting anyone next week but to try again the week after!!
Just not enough beds......as I said :(
 

Bod

Registered User
Aug 30, 2013
1,958
0
Mental Health Nursing for him will mean Specialist Dementia unit, as he is not bedridden, so not requiring "nursing" in the traditional sense.
Why did the not very good home get a low CQC rating?


Bod
 
Last edited:

katie1

Registered User
Aug 5, 2014
122
0
Kendal Cumbria
Mental Health Nursing for him will mean Specialist Dementia unit, as he is not bedridden, so not requiring "nursing" in the traditional sense.
Why did the not very good home get a low CQC rating?


Bod

As his dementia deteriorates more, as we all know the pattern, he will indeed need nursing. He has lost a lot of weight and needs advice and supervision from a dietician and at times is beginning to cough when he eats. I know this might pass but it is a sign of what is to come (having read so many posts on here it has opened my eyes) I wouldn't want to move him again, therefore, finding him a place that can best meet his needs so that he does not have to be moved would be kinder.
 

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