Dear all
Just another grouch and grumble about 'procedural' things and so-called 'care packages' Briefly: mum diagnosed beginning of 2006 after a battle to get anyone to listen. Put on AD meds and then taken off them last year - they disagreed with her. (She has drop in carers for dispensing of other meds twice a day), but CPN support withdrawn. Support worker withdrawn. Now she is getting worse. I was told at the last review meeting we had to 'ring this number, if I wanted mental health team input'. So I did. The person who answered told me to ring either the SW or GP as they needed to refer mum to the memory team. As I had something I wanted to discuss with SW, I rang there. The SW in charge of mum's case no longer works there. I was told to ring the number I first rang. (Are you still following this? ) I explained I'd already done this and was then told to call GP who would refer mum to a consultant. But what for? We know she has dementia, a consultant has already told me this. She hasn't got better.
So now I'm thinking, what's the point? Another conversation with GP about mum getting worse. Another wait for a specialist to re-confirm what we had confirmed two years ago and to be told there's nothing they can do.
I have tried to get mum alternative support from a local charity but she either is still in bed when they come round, or doesn't hear the door, or doesn't answer, so they go away. I've explained her routine at length to them, but ... So I ring again,leave a message and no-one phones back.
'They' go on about allowing people their independence for as long as is safely possible, but they don't seem interested in helping family or carers achieve that for their loved ones.
This wouldn't happen with any other terminal illness. What cheeses me off about this whole episode is this: If I didn't care enough to make contact and mum was on her own, she'd end up totally isolated and probably feature in the newspaper as one of the 'forgotten elderly', because there doesn't seem to be any kind of long term plan for follow up visits, unless they are prompted by a carer, or, I guess a concerned neighbour.
Pah, moan over thanks for listening. Would be good to hear if anyone else has experienced something similar so we can have a group gripe!
Just another grouch and grumble about 'procedural' things and so-called 'care packages' Briefly: mum diagnosed beginning of 2006 after a battle to get anyone to listen. Put on AD meds and then taken off them last year - they disagreed with her. (She has drop in carers for dispensing of other meds twice a day), but CPN support withdrawn. Support worker withdrawn. Now she is getting worse. I was told at the last review meeting we had to 'ring this number, if I wanted mental health team input'. So I did. The person who answered told me to ring either the SW or GP as they needed to refer mum to the memory team. As I had something I wanted to discuss with SW, I rang there. The SW in charge of mum's case no longer works there. I was told to ring the number I first rang. (Are you still following this? ) I explained I'd already done this and was then told to call GP who would refer mum to a consultant. But what for? We know she has dementia, a consultant has already told me this. She hasn't got better.
So now I'm thinking, what's the point? Another conversation with GP about mum getting worse. Another wait for a specialist to re-confirm what we had confirmed two years ago and to be told there's nothing they can do.
I have tried to get mum alternative support from a local charity but she either is still in bed when they come round, or doesn't hear the door, or doesn't answer, so they go away. I've explained her routine at length to them, but ... So I ring again,leave a message and no-one phones back.
'They' go on about allowing people their independence for as long as is safely possible, but they don't seem interested in helping family or carers achieve that for their loved ones.
This wouldn't happen with any other terminal illness. What cheeses me off about this whole episode is this: If I didn't care enough to make contact and mum was on her own, she'd end up totally isolated and probably feature in the newspaper as one of the 'forgotten elderly', because there doesn't seem to be any kind of long term plan for follow up visits, unless they are prompted by a carer, or, I guess a concerned neighbour.
Pah, moan over thanks for listening. Would be good to hear if anyone else has experienced something similar so we can have a group gripe!