Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Aged Care
#1
Mum has progressively got worse over last few months and then had a fall while out with church. On concrete.

 broken hip, not snapped but still..... In hospital (finally) kidneys not functioning well they note.

We tried, got her an adjustable bed, got her home (Cost $243 for ambulance to bring her) discover arrnaged nurses were not to come for several days, not twice weekly, and next day as told.

And she climbed out and fell again. With a catheter in, unfixed hip...
Back to hospital, changed all her meds, potassium high, calcium low. This time they and we, decided she needed EOL care.  matter of weeks - at most 4 months. (She;s used 1 already now)

It's always been her biggest fear - shoved into a home. So hospital level care, EOL care they said, found place, takes ALL her pension due to extra costs and only one place to go.  But proper care they said.

Cost us another $243 for ambulance to take her there. (Not covered they say, membership or anything else, due to "private ambulance  to take not to a hospital)  catheter removed now.

She fell within hours of arriving. Found her they said at dinner time. No lunch, no snack, nothing. On floor all that time.
I'd arranged her room before hand...table over bed etc so she could get at things.

They'd taken that away. 

Oh it happens they said, oh she's fine they said. How? Cause moving her legs.
I made a fuss.

So next day I am told I can buy hip protector pants for $120.
Told she can't have table cause she'll "kick it".
They put a padded mat on floor.

Later they ring to say fallen again.

Again I say can she have table for snacks, water. I put it back , arrange bed with pillows inc her tripillow from home,  so she can sit up, lean back, reach water, put hearing aids and teeth in etc.
Today I go and yet again, no hearing aids, teeth, table. Wearing a top and no pants.  Tri pillow on top of wardrobe.

Dress her, ask for water and ice. Oh no ice they say, I say yes in fridge down (there). I fetch ice, woman fetches small jug of water.
I clean her filthy teeth and put them in, do hearing aids, hair, she drinks 3.5 cups of water.

I ask for the yoghurt I'd bought in for her. Woman leaves, never comes back.

I fetch more water and find kitchen. Kitchen staff not told, but happy to take her the yoghurt at meals, snacks.
I take yogurt, mum eats half the container. This is home made stuff, a 400g container. I aks what had for breakfast, coffee she says. Snack later? No she says, they Didn't bring one.

She drinks another half cup of water.

I turn on and arrange fan we'd taken in. As it's hot.No aircon.
Mum happy to hop back on bed and lie back now.

While searching for staff I find a man in a wheeled office chair attempting to scuffle himself to toilet. Push him in and capture passing staff, help man I ask.

Every day I tell them the same thing: Leave her the table, then she won't try to walk...leave water, have staff bring her yoghurt if refusing other food. do hearing aids (I tend to them, clean, batteries etc) just put them in in morning. She hears nothing without them.

It's damn cruel, I really regret letting the hospital do this now.

I note they are repainting the place. Not needing paint, just change of colour. But can't attend to inmates?
#2
Yes my Mum died in quite an upmarket version of one of these Hospices.

Staff really casual, Mum had multiple falls sometimes not found for hours, her own cutlery mixed up with facilities during her having meals in her room, discouraged as more work for staff.

All in all a bad experience and Mum died anyway.
It's not the least charm of a theory that it is refutable. The hundred-times-refuted theory of "free will" owes its persistence to this charm alone; some one is always appearing who feels himself strong enough to refute it - Friedrich Nietzsche
#3
Seems like a perfect case for the especially appointed commissioner
https://www.hdc.org.nz/our-work/aged-care-commissioner/
#4
Sounds like me mid-80's.
Mind you, most of that was self-inflicted.
#5
Not much point in commissioner level complaints.
They are overworked, the staff. Its the corporate mentality...costs....over care.

I have complained to them and will continue to be annoying.
I went back tonight, did her meal for her, short staffed girl said, yeah I could see that.

So once a day, twice on weekends at minimum, it's not far so might as well. make sure she has her table, water etc.
It's not a grotty place, flash enough looking, even her budget room.

(14-12-2024, 02:42 PM)zqwerty Wrote: Yes my Mum died in quite an upmarket version of one of these Hospices.

Staff really casual, Mum had multiple falls sometimes not found for hours, her own cutlery mixed up with facilities during her having meals in her room, discouraged as more work for staff.

All in all a bad experience and Mum died anyway.

Yeh heard a few stories from various people, various homes.
Some pretty horrific.

Lucky its only 7km from me, so I'll just go in at least daily. She is EOL, it's not like it will be months and months.
And it is a shit of a job...I couldn't do it.  well with people not my mum...
#6
My Mum, same experience. Her stuff stolen, care sadly lacking, put into nappies so the nursing staff didn't need to help her to the loo, lost weight really fast, caught staff laughing at residents, my Mum said she'd been smacked, manager denied it. I used to get called to come in and settle her, because staff were too busy, overworked, underpaid, and poorly trained. Language difficulties...

It was an awful time. We were both relieved when it ended. I pray to all that is good that I escape that fate.
#7
But that is what you get for minimum wage and poor working conditions.

If our seniors were valued they wouldn't be treated like this.
#8
That's absolutely disgusting. So they take all her money and do none of the work?
Sounds about right for those kind of places.

If you're going in there everyday to do their job for them, you should send them a bill as well.


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)