I am stuck in limbo at the moment over what care or what they are doing with my mum in Hospital. I have got both parents in the same hospital at present . Dad has broken the wrong hip, not the one that needs doing, mums meds aone of them was up the wall, her care manager said if I was not happy with her or she did not seem right to send her in which I did.
I know the NHS is hard pushed at present but I am being sent around in circles trying to find out what they are doing with her as no one with give me a straight answer, and I have been told different things when I do get to speak to a nurse only that she is well but doctor need to speak to u about her meds. Due to the amount of different tablets my mum is on just upsetting one or doing something silly with them things can go wrong. I have got to try again today to speak to this doctor or for her to speak to me. They won’t give dad a straight answer either and he is in the same Hospital as her but welfare for patients are trying for him.
All we know that is true is some sort of respite care for mum to give me chance to sort the house out but also that when dad is at home I am not looking after the pair of them which I have been doing for quite a while.
No one had phone or spoken to me apart from a pharmacist checking mums meds,nurses to say she ok, only following what the doctor has told them and the ward she is on the cheek in the nurses voice like I am back in school. Not once have I yet spoken to a doctor yet as they are either to busy or they can’t find them.
I am going to try again today to see what I can find out but who can I turn too if I am still not happy or can’t be given any information due to confidentiality? so I can pass it on to my dad, Even her care manager can’t get any where with them.
Do you have Power of Attorney?
Are PALS involved? Patient Liaison.
If all else fails, make a formal complaint to the hospital CEO about the shambles, ring up. You will speak to the PA. Never failed for me!
What is wrong with mum?
With the house?
Thanks for that. Mum has mental health issues and is on Lithium, the level was toxic but not any more. even though I have told them that from a nurse who runs a lithium clinic had said the level had gone back to normal. so I don’t know if they are stop start the lithium even though I was told she could take after the blood test. as with the house it is a bit of a mess, I have been trying to clean it up and do everything else. I have got some sort of plan worked out but with this virus out break I don’t know who there and who not to help.
Dad has got PA but with him in another part of the Hospital, he is stuck.
michael
Take some photos of the house as it is, so the hospital can see what you are up against.
Do both your parents receive DLA or Attendance Allowance?
This money is designed to cover the costs of disability, and that means they should be paying to have the house cleaned, not relying on you doing it for free!
As they are both in hospital, they are not paying for food etc. at home.
Do you have Power of Attorney for them, or are you their DWP Appointee, which would allow you to help manage their money.
I have got some one looking into PA for me, will get back to be sometime next week as there a lot of legal information needs to be checked up on. I could not take photo’s of the house and show it to the Hospital what I am up against as I have to wait for them to be discharged before anyone will speak to me about my parents. All I had is a OT from the Hospital wanting to know how mum gets around the house. A lot of this has happen in a short space of time which was unexpected. We have had offers for people to come in to the house to clean but what had been quoted and what they were going to do and I don’t mean a house clearance just general tidying was a rip off in price which when I looked at some of the reviews about these different company’s we asked, they are Like a Delboy all talk for something that does not work.
mike
You need to make sure everyone realises YOU are now taking charge of everything, no decisions can be made without your approval, even without POA, YOU are the nearest relative. The OT needs to visit the house, with dad, and see how he can (or cannot) manage. Not ask you. Let her see the place as it is, as much as possible.
Well the OT has had better look, some of the local ones have been giving me a hand to clean up, we are doing well.
Found out that the ward that mum is on at the moment have been playing silly buggers with her and her medication! Only found out what was going on after one of the doctors came to check on Dad hip had a chat with him about other things in his health, how he was feeling, my dad told this doctor what was going on phone calls late at night,letting her phone the police to check on me as we lost mobile signal etc, which he did not seem impressed with this ward my mum was on. Phone call later and found out that they wanted to reduce the lithium levels back into the range level that they stop one of her tablets Diazepam to do this, this was without checking with the local mental heath team doctors either at that are based at the Hospital or in the local mental health center just down from us where she goes to see one of the doctors there or speak to me. The ward knew about this but no one seem to give a straight answer as I had been told different things to what dad been told. Dad managed to speak to a doctor on duty on mum ward, made sure that everything is back to normal but she is still high. They were even going to palm her off to the same unit dad was in for recovery as they could not deal with the mess they had made. I am glad that lock down is still on or I would be having a few choose words to be saying to certain people on mum ward. I don’t know yet if it worth bring in pova yet? I will have to wait and see what mum social work say yet as I know there is a lot of paper work involved and I don’t know yet if they have sent anything to him yet as he is on annual leave until next week.
It’s NOT lots of paperwork.
Sort it out without delay, mum must sign, with two witnesses. I did my mum’s in hospital, witnessed by admin staff, as nurses not allowed to.
I would have to see about her signing it, as mum can sign much these days due to past TIA/Strokes but also she is high, this will need some thinking.
mike
That shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Just because someone cannot talk doesn’t mean to say that they don’t have mental capacity. Google “Mental Capacity Consent” and you should find what you need to know.
Please remember that a Lasting Power of Attorney requires the donor (in this case the mum) has the capacity to understand. If there are mental health issues it may be too late for a LPA and you will have to apply to the court of protection for guardianship.
Really not that simple. A LPA is a legal document and if any mental health issues are known then an assessment of capacity would be needed before an LPA can be drawn up.
DLA and attendance allowance stop after 28 days in hospital and will be reinstated on discharged if the qualifying condition is the same or worse. There is a legal duty to report hospital admission to DWP and failing to do so could be seen as benefit fraud.
Under those circumstances a Deputyship might be appropriate. Problem being that it takes even longer than an LPA at the moment, and they’re taking about 6 months. And, of course, they’re a lot more expensive to set up.