Violence in care homes

[Dog5Body4U]

Hi Folks
It's been a while since I have last posted on here but I keep up with as much as I can, I have a question to ask if people don't mind answering ?
My Mother-in-law is in a care home in Rochdale and she is now at the stage where we never know if she will remember us, she tends to not talk now occasionally we have had her repeat the same sound (not a real word) a few times as she rocks, and my wife is getting very upset whenever this happens. is this a normal progression of this type of curse (in my opinion curse is the most polite word I can think to use)!!!

but I digress we have noticed of late new bruises almost at every visit to see my Mother-in-law, a fat lip here, a few bad scratches down her face, bruises on her chin as though she has been punched, not to forget to mention the bruises on her arms !!
the staff we ask generally say they didn't see anything happen, then if we ask the nurse we get told that my Mother-in-law fights with the other residents. don't get me wrong she can occasionally be verbally abusive, and we have seen her try to slap a member of staff who was trying to get her changed, but she is generally more bark than bite. we have noticed a couple of the more ambulatory residents picking on other residents, and have mentioned the incidents to the staff, even an incident where one of the others tried to hit my Mother-in-law while we were there, but we just got told that we shouldn't interfere and to let the staff deal with these things.
the last place she was in had camera's everwhere (apart from toilets and bedrooms) so they could look at the recordings and see what happened after the fact if no member of staff noticed the incident, I thought that was a great idea for finding outwhat happened, but I also noticed they didn't have as much staff, and I often wondered if the camera's were taking the place of staff ? so I don't know if I should suggest camera's in the current place ????
Sorry to rant and tant on here but its basically the only place I feel comfortable enough to do it (and I always told my daughter that its better saying stuff rather than let it fester in your mind and heart) I cannot say how much each and everyone on here has helped me and my wife and daughter through this curse

 

[marionq]

I would be concerned too if I were you. Having said that my husband is at home and gets odd bruises. On the back of his hand and behind his knee. These are bruises which appear and disappear rather than fade so I suspect a blood issue causing them.

I always point them out to our carer who comes three times a week and she tells me they are common in elderly people.

 

[Helly68]

Dog5Body4U, you have my sympathies, I am also dealing with these kind of CH issues. In our case my mother is refusing personal care by biting and pinching and pushed another resident over. She has no idea what she is doing, but obviously this is distressing for everyone.

I would say talk to the home manager. I am a bit unimpressed with them saying they didn't see anything. That sounds like them fobbing you off.Usually the staff can tell me what has happened, whether it is another resident or Mummy. They may need to respect individual confidentiality but also need to keep everyone safe. You are not "interfering" in my view you are asking very reasonable questions. The home should not have anything to hide.

In my Mum's home, they have a great initiative where you can meet with the manager and OTs or Community Matrons and discuss issues. UTIs and other infections are often indicated with a sudden change of behaviour but there may be other factors.

Don't know about cameras as I don't think my Mum's home has them. I think there might be privacy issues.....

 

[Bunpoots]

I too would be very concerned about the staff saying they didn’t see anything especially as the nurse is saying something different. It’s staff’s job to notice these things. There were violent and aggressive people in dad’s carehome but the staff knew who they were and there was always someone in the room ready to intervene. Usually they managed to head off an incident before it started by being vigilant and they knew which residents to keep apart and would step in if they saw one heading for the other.

I would also say talk to the manager. I managed to build a good relationship with dad’s carehome manager which was invaluable if I had any concerns.
The staff should be able to explain why your MIL has these scratches and bruises even if they are the result of falls and scratching herself.

You mention bruises on her arms. Do they look like big ones which could be caused by bumping into things?

 

[Andyp101]

I have had some experience of this too. My Mum had an horrendous bruise on her arm (with finger marks) and I wasn't told about it until the next day. I was told by the Manager that Mum had an altercation with a resident. However without wishing to sound like Columbo the resident is chair bound and could not have reached around to cause the bruise. Conveniently the resident does not speak either. I was dubious. Not that my Mum could not be confrontational but of the story. I took a photo.

There should be in the care home a chart with your Mum's records of bruises, markings, etc. Ask to see it, if the bruises have been recorded, etc.

From experience the care home began to get 'difficult' with me as soon as I started to question things so be prepared.

There were no cameras in this care home and asking for them to be installed would have been met with outright hostility. It was a case of what the family does not know won't hurt them. I reported my concerns to Social Services but they were of the same mind.

I started taking my own photographs, making diary entries, etc.

Over the top? Not when it was my Mum and when I was getting stories, deflections and distractions. For example, my Mum defecated in public at least five times to m knowledge. There were no staff around to point her to the toilet etc. She wandered naked twice to the coffee lounge and once to the dining room. I was furious. Both the care home and Social Services believed this was just part of dementia. So I started keeping my own records to report to the Ombudsman.

I was Safeguarded by Social Services for photographing Mum and contravening her Human Rights.

I had to point out to Social Services that the CQC published a leaflet in 2015 instructing you how to record poor care.

Be prepared to fight, that's all I will say, but do so. It is your family.

 

[silversea2020]

You must speak with the Care Home Manager and if necessary, confirm your worries/safe guarding issues in writing also. Keep a diary of injuries. If it was me, I would seriously think about installing a hidden camera in her room - let’s face it, others do and have done, in some cases with appalling results. At the end of the day, you just want to know what is going on in the home - I would not think twice about doing so.

 

[Moggymad]

I would say the same as Bunpoots. Did your MIL used to rock? Do you feel the strange sound she makes when rocking is a form of distress possibly associated with the causes of her bruises? If so do not be fobbed off by staff. You need to know where these injuries are coming from & it is their responsibility to keep her safe whether from herself, residents or heaven forbid, staff. When my mum fights against personal care it's because she is sore down below. There are signs of distress that shouldn't be ignored.

 

[Ohso]

Mum is home with me but l have installed a camera in her room, mainly to enable me to instantly check on her ( from my office (l work from home) but l also make the carers ( who are wonderful) that its there. I have also noticed bruises, if im honest l worry its me, inexperienced in helping her and possibly doing it wrong, hers are mainly arms and so now l am extra careful when helping her out of bed etc, so maybe that accounts for some.
The camera l use is utilising an old mobile phone, both phones have an app ( alfred) installed and both log in, one as sender, one as receiver. So far its brilliant, and as its an app l can log in from anywhere, if l log out my daughter can log in on her phone which really helps if l need to be further away ( anything further than 20 minutes away makes me nervous of falls etc)