Care homes and carers

[prodigal gardener]

My nan has had to be put into a care home at the ripe old age of 94 :-( she has a turn just before Christmas and it turns out it was a series of minor strokes. She has all her marbles but they have rolled around somewhat and she is a bit confused. She is also very frail and unable to stand up straight due to osteo whatsname in her hips.
I'm really worried because of all the scare stories in the press about care homes. Does anybody have any experience in this area, are the majority of staff nice people who do care? Surely they aren't all spitefull weirdos are they :-(

[Barbara]

No PG, they are not all bad, my MiL was in a home due to marble loss and she was just fine, they were very friendly the staff, and very caring, my next door neighbour says the same about her mums place so that's at least two.

[andy]

My wife is the manager of a care home in Seaford. Whilst the area manager is a money grabbing useless cow, my wife and her team put the residents first and profit later.

They are cared for well, they are fed well, they have day trips out, they are entertained and they basically do as they like...within the boundaries of their capabilities.

I can't of course, account for every home but im pretty sure most people go into caring for people because they like people. Anyone who hasn't got the heart for it usually leaves the profession pretty quick.

If there's anything you need to know or what to look for, please ask and i'll ask my wife later.

Best

Andy

[Tig]

Both my MiL & FiL were in care homes in their final years. MiL had really bad dementia and was prone to child-like outbursts where she could get a bit violent. I didn't like the home she was in, it stunk of urine and all the residents were what I would call 'difficult' to manage without heavy medication. FiL was in a Council run one for a couple of years until they closed it. He then was placed in a private residential nursing home. The staff at both were very good. The only thing I would advise is that if she wears any jewellery it might disappear. Both MiL & FiL were missing their wedding rings within months, and no-one knew where they went.

Go and visit her as soon as you can, that is the best way to see for yourself what the conditions are like. The other residents, cleanliness, the overall safety of the environment, staffing levels, what her accommodation is like, etc

x Tig

[Geranium]

My Mum went into a Care Home - she was losing her marbles, and had had several falls at home.  She'd been in hospital and in a (different) rehab hospital unit where the care was a disgrace. She actually deteriorated there.   We looked at several Care Homes, and chose the one that seemed to 'care' about the patients, not the ones with bells and whistles. It was the right thing to do - they were wonderful people and she had individual loving care, night and day. Make sure you can visit at any time - and are welcome. Look for the small things like flowers and non-intrusive music: not a TV blaring out all the time!  My Mum was encouraged to have her Minister and church visitors whenever they were passing - and coffee/tea appeared like magic!  Can she keep her own GP? That was important too - and can she have some of her own things around her, like favourite pictures and photos?

[MamIDdau]

My great aunt was in a care home (obviously not in your area though!) and they were sooooo lovely. And my Mum used to work in one, and she's lovely so don't believe all the horror stories. Remember that a horror story is more likely to be retold and reported on than a lovely story.

My great aunt was 94, too. She had to go in because she had a bout of shingles and kept making it worse

[prodigal gardener]

Thanks all. Dad seems quite confident that the home is nice. Just wish I could get there. Cant afford the fuel for a 400 mile round trip at the moment tho I am saving up so I hope to go soon