Care Home

[jennyjoan]

Today I visited my friend who is in the care home. This home is situated at the top of a residential street.

Anyway friend and I came out of the entertainments room and came up on the lift to the communal room when one of the carers started screaming - I couldn't understand her but friend said that two of the patients had wandered out of the home and this particular carer saw two of them through the window dandering down the street.

The patients indeed were half way down this quite a long street (thank goodness) - two carers went tearing after them and brought them back to the home.

One of the patients was crying "I'm getting the blame" etc etc.

I know what happened - the entertainments room is right at the door way and the door was opened because of heat. The two ladies just walked through the open door.

Anyway - what do you think. Do you think the security is lax. The reception is at the entrance too but obviously no one was there.

It turned out alright but it could have been so wrong.

[pixie374]

Mine mostly says "daily chocolate " so far:-) xx

[Barmaid]

I see an awful lot of DOLS applications. I think there are some professionals who might need their training updated (I'm referring to those who idiotically are slavish to DOLS which is as bad as being completely ignorant at it.)

"Best interests" is both a very simple test to apply but also a profoundly difficult one conceptually. I've had a lot of professional experience of this and a deeply personal one.

Dementia is a horrid thing to deal with in any capacity. And it's so bloody demanding on the person, the family and all those who care (in any sense).

No "security" wasn't lax. These are not high security units but CARE facilities. Or Homes. And homes should be just that (specifically NOT the institution type "home")

At my grandfather's specialist dementia care home the safety of the residents was implemented so utterly brilliantly. It is an amazing place and he was so so well cared for.

[woofgang]

BM, even the professional guidance doesn't always get it right. I contacted a professional website for Social Workers recently. They had put up a Capacity training module including a decision making flow chart example based on making the decision on whether a person, who definitely lacked capacity at that time and was also unable to express any opinion or preference at that time, should be given flu vaccine or not....it had been written for them by a District Nurse which cough "may" cough have had some bearing on it but no consideration had been given at all to any opinions or preferences that had been expressed when the person did have capacity. I am not saying that such opinions and preferences should trump all other considerations, but a preofessional should at least have to demonstrate that they have taken them into account!