Hello everyone - hope you are all doing ok. Apologies for not being around for a while but - well, just haven't been up to it. Everything revolves around mum. the nhs, soc workers, etc. and sometimes I just do not want to relive it all by having to write it all down again. Does that make sense?
Have spent the summer running two households and driving back and forwards from Notts to Kent. Trying to keep communication networks going - I always seem to be the last to be told anything.
Mum has recovered from c diff 5 times now and a solution has not been found. In order to keep it at bay, the hospital do not treat any other infections she has.
Three weeks ago had a meet with everyone - soc services, nhs continuing care, occupational, consultant and several others. At that time mum's diagnosis was confirmed as Lewey Body, although they havn't done a scan to confirm this. Continuing care was offered for first 4 weeks as mum's overall condition was deemed unstable and complex. Her doctor once again told me - no rush - take things slowly, she has a bed for as long as it's needed - which was a great relief to me. (This has all changed now.) A decision was made to have mum home for 24 hours - this took place. (Almost didn't and there were loads of problems, mainly because they had ignored things I had said at the meeting.) Do others feel that sometimes you're talking to a brick wall and that they know your family member better than you?
So at the moment this is where we are at.
No-one, absolutely no-one has been in contact since then. I arranged a meeting with soc services last Thursday, earliest she could make it. Suddenly we're talking dates and I have to fit in with them. I ask for 10 days to 2 weeks to get my situ sorted. Also told that mum no longer fits the criteria for continuing care. As there is no care package available and I've picked up a bug, I decide to come home. Friday, soc worker rings and tells me hospital wants mum out asap because they are worried she'll become institutionalised. She's been there 61/2 mths due to c diff, ands she's already institutionalised. Plus, if I can't be there in time she will have to go into care. Er, excuse me but isn't that just swapping one institution for another. I explain that I can't sort everything out my end so quickly and am told have to speak to hospital. Rang hospital, they know nothing - tell me no decision as been made about mum and doctor not around until next Wednesday anyway. Will ring doctor tomorrow to plead for another week, so I can prepare for mum's homecoming.
Notts soc worker said she has been in touch with Kent soc services and informs me I must deal with them. Ring them to ask for professional help with adjustments to my home (which is a death trap at the moment) so I can bring mum safely home to Kent. They want nothing to do with me until Notts soc services contact them as they say no one has been in contact and they know nothing about mum. Notts soc worker only works part time and not available.
Seeing my mother's reaction to change over only 24 hours, I was determined for her best interests to make the move from Notts to Kent as smooth as poss, but it would appear the system will not allow me to do this. That neither mum nor I have any rights and so now she has to leave a familiar hospital for a strange res. home to her home for 4 weeks then back into another strange res. home before finally coming to me. This is going to make us both stressed and ill. I spent all day crying with frustration. But good news - mum is 90 on Nov 15th. Finished!! love ellie
Have spent the summer running two households and driving back and forwards from Notts to Kent. Trying to keep communication networks going - I always seem to be the last to be told anything.
Mum has recovered from c diff 5 times now and a solution has not been found. In order to keep it at bay, the hospital do not treat any other infections she has.
Three weeks ago had a meet with everyone - soc services, nhs continuing care, occupational, consultant and several others. At that time mum's diagnosis was confirmed as Lewey Body, although they havn't done a scan to confirm this. Continuing care was offered for first 4 weeks as mum's overall condition was deemed unstable and complex. Her doctor once again told me - no rush - take things slowly, she has a bed for as long as it's needed - which was a great relief to me. (This has all changed now.) A decision was made to have mum home for 24 hours - this took place. (Almost didn't and there were loads of problems, mainly because they had ignored things I had said at the meeting.) Do others feel that sometimes you're talking to a brick wall and that they know your family member better than you?
So at the moment this is where we are at.
No-one, absolutely no-one has been in contact since then. I arranged a meeting with soc services last Thursday, earliest she could make it. Suddenly we're talking dates and I have to fit in with them. I ask for 10 days to 2 weeks to get my situ sorted. Also told that mum no longer fits the criteria for continuing care. As there is no care package available and I've picked up a bug, I decide to come home. Friday, soc worker rings and tells me hospital wants mum out asap because they are worried she'll become institutionalised. She's been there 61/2 mths due to c diff, ands she's already institutionalised. Plus, if I can't be there in time she will have to go into care. Er, excuse me but isn't that just swapping one institution for another. I explain that I can't sort everything out my end so quickly and am told have to speak to hospital. Rang hospital, they know nothing - tell me no decision as been made about mum and doctor not around until next Wednesday anyway. Will ring doctor tomorrow to plead for another week, so I can prepare for mum's homecoming.
Notts soc worker said she has been in touch with Kent soc services and informs me I must deal with them. Ring them to ask for professional help with adjustments to my home (which is a death trap at the moment) so I can bring mum safely home to Kent. They want nothing to do with me until Notts soc services contact them as they say no one has been in contact and they know nothing about mum. Notts soc worker only works part time and not available.
Seeing my mother's reaction to change over only 24 hours, I was determined for her best interests to make the move from Notts to Kent as smooth as poss, but it would appear the system will not allow me to do this. That neither mum nor I have any rights and so now she has to leave a familiar hospital for a strange res. home to her home for 4 weeks then back into another strange res. home before finally coming to me. This is going to make us both stressed and ill. I spent all day crying with frustration. But good news - mum is 90 on Nov 15th. Finished!! love ellie