[Help] Care For The Elderly in Home

[LamieRobertson]

Pal of mine went to a private agency in Worthing last week to get some care help at weekends for his elderly mother - was very bluntly told there’s none available and won’t be for the foreseeable future - simply don’t have the staff to meet demand.

Hope you get something sorted - some great advice above. My daughter’s chief bugbear on the DME ward is having to discharge patients into clearly inappropriate settings, knowing full well they’ll come straight back.

That’s it ..generally dedicated staff ..just capacity/the system issues

 

[cheshunt seagull]

From MrsW - NHS clinical nurse specialist (ex nursing homes too):

1. Make it very clear to the hospital (the senior ward person) that if he leaves, he will likely bounce straight back in. Can he not go into what is called a step down bed in either a nursing home/community hospital (funded by nhs) until care support is set up?

2. Over this weekend, ask the nurses to complete nights logs. If he’s getting up in the night with help, it’s completely inappropriate to go home before rehab and unfair on your mum to manage him. If he is getting up, this puts him at high risk of another fall.

3. Following a fractured hip he should receive ongoing rehab from a physio and occupational therapy anyway to assess his home environment and the need for any equipment around the home. It’s completely counter productive to send him home before he can manage. The need is to keep him safe thus preventing another admission.

4. Rapid responsive teams (will need a referral from the ward) can support discharges.

5. A private company which is very good is Home Instead, but sadly they would need to assess him which will take time.


Good luck and keep nsc posted if you want.

I chose Home Instead to provide my mother's care in Hove for the 2 years before her death aged 92 a year ago. The care she needed increased over this period and they were able to increase the support they provided in line with this. They had about 4 carers looking after her and they spent a lot of time getting to know her so she enjoyed their visits, this was important as she was very much against getting the care package at the beginning. They have an app which reports on each care visit and the company was always easily contactable. This communication was important as I was shielding 100 miles away and couldn't get to see her for long periods last year. In the end she went into Royal Sussex with a suspected stroke and caught Covid.

 

[dazzer6666]

[/B]
That’s it ..generally dedicated staff ..just capacity/the system issues

Yep….having to kick people out because others are waiting on trollies in corridors

 

[Seecider]

Another vote for Home Instead, which we are using down West for my elderly parents. They've been great in past couple of weeks stepping up their input as things have got more difficult. Some hospitals will release people to nursing homes on a Discharge to Assess basis. Usually give the patient 6 weeks in a Care Home care paid for by Social Services. Hope you Dad recovers well.