they said they were short staffed. But the afternoon carers said they were at home, and would have come in if anyone had phoned.
They just picked a bad day!
Oh good heavens Hazel, no wonder you went ballistic. I'm so sorry to read all this recent thread and hope things are more to your liking now. In my mum's home I never trust the staffing levels and skills at weekends and Bank Holidays. On the Saturday before Christmas three of the carers in my mum's home rang in sick. There have been a lot of bugs around but it makes you wonder. I found my mum in an over crowded dining room that day with her top dentures out and her spectacles perched wonkily upside down on her nose with their 'arms' pointing upwards. The best carer in the home was present but 'losing it' with some of the residents who were needing more time than she could spare and she was trying to run around feeding over thirty residents with the help of just one other member of staff, a young lad. Two or three residents were calling out pitifully for attention and driving other residents into fits of bad temper. Lord love us all.
Do you know what? I envy you the chance to go away briefly and take a walk with Skye. I reckon that dog is keeping you sane and fit. I was in a pub on New Year's Eve in the afternoon and there was a man with two Skyes: one white and one black. One looked like the real Skye and the other looked like a photographic negative. What lovely personalities they have! I thought about you and wondered how things were going. I'm really sorry they have been so fraught. There shouldn't be any issue about how long John stays in bed . The staff must turn him regularly and check on him and maintain fluids. It's pretty straightforward.
I lost it today with my mum's home over a very trivial issue. Her Christmas cards had disappeared. I searched her cupboards and drawers and found a stack of birthday cards nestling amongst her tights and undies. I had wondered where the birthday cards had gone earlier in December but assumed my brother had taken them away. I couldn't find the Christmas cards and suspected, rightly, that they had been collected up and prematurely stuffed in the recycling box downstairs.
I don't know why this upset me so much. It's hardly on a par with leaving someone inadequately dressed, but it really annoyed me, especially as one of the carers didn't seem to think it was much to worry about. The cards contained a few lines in them from stalwart friends which I wanted to respond to on my mum's behalf and someone had taken the view that they had the right to remove them and consign them to the waste bin. I fished them out and placed them under close supervision.
I ended up barking at a carer, which is really not like me at all. Then I whined at the Manager and received an apology, so I went away with my ruffled feathers partly smoothed down. My mum spotted this Manager one day and said quite loudly " Who is that funny little man? He keeps wobbling around all the time." A comment made more embarrassing because that 'funny little man' is in fact a lady who favours stern trouser suits and fearsomely cropped hair.
I'm really sorry that you are noticing such a rapid decline in John. I know your vigilance will ensure the best possible care for him, and like Connie, I'd say don't rush into early decisions about caring for him at home. Try to give the home more time to get things right if you can bear it. You have sounded so positive up to now. Sending you both very best wishes, and a kiss on the nose for Skye . Love Deborah
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