Today has not been a good day.
I was phoned up by the care agency to tell me mum had been found by the carer lying on the floor so I hot-footed it over there to meet the paramedics.
She's fine, but is very obviously not doing well generally. She stank of urine (and the carpet by her chair was sodden with it), and I found not one but two pairs of soiled, soaking Tena pants, one by her chair and one in the bathroom.
The paramedics called her GP to say they suspected a UTI and were told mum needed to provide a urine sample. As I don't have a car on the road one of them kindly took his ambulance to pick the pot up. After they'd gone ths fun and games started. For about an hour I tried to persuade mum to go to the toilet but her mobility's so very poor now, she could hardly stand (hence her falling) let alone walk to the loo. She has SERIOUSLY swollen legs that I have time and again tried to get treated to no avail. I think they are loath to prescribe water pills due to the incontinence.
So I phoned up the surgery to let them know it wasn't possible to get the sample and that mum needed to see a GP, soonest.
I changed her, with difficulty, out of her night things and into day clothes. And put fresh Tena pants on her.
So mum's got a visit tomorrow. The GP is also due to refer mum for a mental capacity assessment to support my application for deputyship.
Then, I was sitting there with her when I heard her shudder. The old dear was only drinking the antibacterial hand gel that I had bought when I realised she was no longer washing her hands after using the toilet, it's the same colour as her cherries & berries squash so she may have thought it was that. I confiscated it and there was another mad panic while I rang 111 to ask them what I should do. I don't think she ingested very much at all (I gave it a little taste and it was bitter and foul-tasting, presumably to discourage young kids from drinking it) and there was no vomming or projectile diarrhoea, so I think she'll be fine.
Also rang the fall detector folk because it wasn't working.
I've been looking at care homes this week and the first one I visited was lovely so I rang the girl in Social Services but the line was being answered and hung up, so I emailed her and she rang me back. If there is still a KCC place there she will book an assessment for mum. The second one I looked at was not very nice and I've heard some unpleasant things about it so she's not going there.
At the very end of a long, frayed rope now. Tried to book a GP appointment for me as I need more help now than the antidepressants.
I would normally do her shopping but that went out of the window, so I've done an online shop to be delivered tomorrow after the GP's been.
Tomorrow evening I have booked a ticket for the National Theatre Live presentation of the Threepenny Opera which is being broadcast to cinemas, so my phone is going to be switched OFF!!
I was phoned up by the care agency to tell me mum had been found by the carer lying on the floor so I hot-footed it over there to meet the paramedics.
She's fine, but is very obviously not doing well generally. She stank of urine (and the carpet by her chair was sodden with it), and I found not one but two pairs of soiled, soaking Tena pants, one by her chair and one in the bathroom.
The paramedics called her GP to say they suspected a UTI and were told mum needed to provide a urine sample. As I don't have a car on the road one of them kindly took his ambulance to pick the pot up. After they'd gone ths fun and games started. For about an hour I tried to persuade mum to go to the toilet but her mobility's so very poor now, she could hardly stand (hence her falling) let alone walk to the loo. She has SERIOUSLY swollen legs that I have time and again tried to get treated to no avail. I think they are loath to prescribe water pills due to the incontinence.
So I phoned up the surgery to let them know it wasn't possible to get the sample and that mum needed to see a GP, soonest.
I changed her, with difficulty, out of her night things and into day clothes. And put fresh Tena pants on her.
So mum's got a visit tomorrow. The GP is also due to refer mum for a mental capacity assessment to support my application for deputyship.
Then, I was sitting there with her when I heard her shudder. The old dear was only drinking the antibacterial hand gel that I had bought when I realised she was no longer washing her hands after using the toilet, it's the same colour as her cherries & berries squash so she may have thought it was that. I confiscated it and there was another mad panic while I rang 111 to ask them what I should do. I don't think she ingested very much at all (I gave it a little taste and it was bitter and foul-tasting, presumably to discourage young kids from drinking it) and there was no vomming or projectile diarrhoea, so I think she'll be fine.
Also rang the fall detector folk because it wasn't working.
I've been looking at care homes this week and the first one I visited was lovely so I rang the girl in Social Services but the line was being answered and hung up, so I emailed her and she rang me back. If there is still a KCC place there she will book an assessment for mum. The second one I looked at was not very nice and I've heard some unpleasant things about it so she's not going there.
At the very end of a long, frayed rope now. Tried to book a GP appointment for me as I need more help now than the antidepressants.
I would normally do her shopping but that went out of the window, so I've done an online shop to be delivered tomorrow after the GP's been.
Tomorrow evening I have booked a ticket for the National Theatre Live presentation of the Threepenny Opera which is being broadcast to cinemas, so my phone is going to be switched OFF!!
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