How care homes are blinding their residents.

Now that I have your full attention (!), care & nursing homes are not blinding them in the conventional sense. What's in the picture below?

I haven't the foggiest idea! I found the image using Google Image search and it's called blurry-1.jpg.

This is what the world looks like to residents who have either not been given their glasses, or who have been given their glasses but the lenses are filthy.

Mum's lenses were filthy this morning. I've written it in the book and informed the manager. Another lady has been at the home for ages and still doesn't have glasses, despite asking for them repeatedly. Her relatives didn't supply the home with any. This sort of thing makes me so mad!

Mum pays ~£1,000 a week to stay at this care home. It's well-run, but on mum's floor (severely disabled) during the day, there are 4 carers + 1 nurse for 18 residents. It takes 2 carers to bath or toilet a resident (my sister damaged her back and had to take early retirement, as there were no health & safety guidelines for lifting in her day) and there is a lot of paperwork.

EDIT: The care home is arranging for the lady whose relatives didn't supply the home with any glasses to get some, so it's not all bad news.

Discrimination is bad, mmmkay?

What do the following three images have in common? Images found with Google Image search.










They are all unable to fend for themselves or express how they feel. They all need a lot of care and attention and can be very demanding. The last two also have to be fed & toileted.

So why is it that the first two images make people go "Squeeeeeeee!" but the third one doesn't?

Is it because the first two images give you something to look forward to but the third one doesn't?

We're all going to end up old one day if we're "lucky". Just hope and/or pray that when you get there, you either have caring partners and/or relatives to look after you, or independent care for the elderly has improved a lot. I've seen things.

How care homes are starving their residents to death.

Now that I have your full attention (!), care & nursing homes give their residents plenty to eat & drink, so they are not starving them to death in the conventional sense.

So, what am I talking about? Clue:- UVB cannot penetrate window glass.

I'm talking about Vitamin D starvation.

At this time of year, care home residents are dying like flies. My sister (who worked in a care home years ago) told me that this is normal. Three died at mum's care home in the same week recently. All of the residents have one thing in common. They're all pale.

Old people feel the cold, so if they do go outside between March and September, they're covered from head to toe in clothes. They synthesise minimal Vitamin D in their skins for their bodies to store. Then, between September and March, their bodies use up those stores. Vitamin D levels decay exponentially , with a half-life of about 60 days. As Vitamin D levels fall, the risk of getting viral infections greatly increases, mood worsens, aches and pains worsen, blood glucose control worsens, the risk of getting cancer greatly increases. Need I go on?

As Dr. Richard M. Cooper (Private GP, Harley Street) pointed out, ALL of his patients were low in Vitamin D and they were active people who could go outdoors. Many care home residents can't go outdoors. They can get a paltry 400iu Vitamin D from an Adcal-D3 chewable tablet, but they're huge things that taste like sweetened chalk and cause constipation (mum hated them).

Death by Vitamin D starvation is a long, drawn-out process that reduces the quality & length of life for care home residents. Something needs to be done about it. All care home residents should have their serum Vitamin D levels tested and be given Vitamin D3 accordingly. I have broached this subject with the manager of mum's care home.

Mum's on 5,000iu/day of Vitamin D3. Although she is now fairly non compos mentis, she still smiles a lot and laughs at my dreadful jokes. She is also infection-free.

Here's the transcript of a YouTube video that's since been removed.
"At this care home, they're proud of their varied menu. Even so, the Government recommends supplements for the over 65's as well as children under 3 and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. But health charities are demanding clearer guidelines and better advice. Because research into Vitamin D deficiency has revealed associations with all sorts of conditions, including Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease and even some cancers."

Dr Carrie Ruxton (Award-winning dietitian and health writer. Media commentator on diet, food and nutrition issues. Advisor to the food industry and government) said:-
"What I think the Government should do is promote its own policies. It had a policy for years to recommend Vitamin D supplementation for vulnerable groups, like elderly, housebound and pregnant & lactating women and children but at the moment, that's not being done. In my own example, I was pregnant twice and nobody told me to take Vitamin D supplements."

This is unacceptable. As the manager at mum's care home is not responsible for the residents' supplementation, I will be taking this up with the MP for the area.

Update: I spoke to the nurse on Friday 2nd March about mum's medical history. Before Vitamin D3, mum had a Urinary Tract Infection in the previous 9 months. Since Vitamin D3, mum has had no medical problems and she has been happy & contented. Her serum Vitamin D level is in the normal range.

A slight hitch, Part 3.

I haven't written anything for a while as I've been lacking in inspiration due to feeling a bit "Meh!". As mentioned in A slight hitch, Part 2. I was ordered to withdraw all of mum's supplements pending investigation by a NHS Dietician. The only thing that I was allowed to continue giving her was smoked salmon for her sandwiches as it's food.

After a long delay, I finally got to see the Dietician, but she was about as useful as a chocolate teapot (she didn't know what half the supplements were), so I had to apply to the Court of Protection to become mum's Deputy so that I would have authority to give her supplements. The forms were returned a week or so later as the financial evidence that I had attached to claim fee exemption was too old. Pah! I received a new P60 in the middle of April, so I re-submitted the forms with a copy of that attached. I phoned the Court on 12th May as I hadn't had any written response and was told that they had received my forms on 21st April and that it could take up to 21 weeks to reach a verdict.

In the meantime, I have to watch mum's mental faculties deteriorate knowing that there are supplements that have helped her brain in the past but I'm not allowed to give them to her. That kinda sucks. Now that there is some sun, I am taking mum onto the patio of the new nursing home around midday to get some UVB, but as she feels the cold more than she used to, only her hands & face are exposed at the moment.

Mum moved to the new nursing home on March 15th and her physical condition has improved thanks to the staff at the new place exercising her. She has regained the use of her left hand (which went floppy at the wrist in November '09 for no apparent reason) and has been walking with the aid of a tri-walker & assisted by a carer since April 16th. The food is better quality and she also gets regular aromatherapy hand massages which she enjoys. That's something to be grateful for.

EDIT: Due to a stress-related health problem in June, I had to cancel my application to become mum's Deputy. I did what I could. I can't do any more. Que sera, sera.

A slight hitch, Part 2.

Continued from A slight hitch. It was on Friday February 13th 2009 that mum collapsed with a UTI and ended up in a nursing home after 3 weeks in hospital. As it had a 3-star CSCI (now CQC) rating, I thought that life would improve for her. Boy, was I wrong!

Due to me being depressed for about 6 months, I didn't deal with the endless litany of problems that mum's friend reported to me other than pass them on the the Home Manager for action. As there was no other nursing homes in the area that had a 3-star rating, both mum & I were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Luckily, I broke out of the vicious circle of depression, crap diet, more depression, more crap diet etc. Then I saw the BBC documentary about Sir Gerry Robinson trying to "fix" dementia care homes. It wasn't just an eye-opener to Sir Gerry. It was an eye-opener to me, too. The programme showed me the difference between good nursing homes and crap nursing homes. Sadly, the nursing home that mum was in fell into the "crap" category, despite charging over £800 per week. I can't name names as I don't want to be sued.

I started to complain more vocally about the poor standard of care at mum's home but things weren't getting any better. One day, I bumped into the activities co-ordinator who was looking glum so I asked her what the matter was. She told me that she was leaving as she couldn't stand working there any more. I asked her what work she would be doing after leaving and she told me that she would be working as activities co-ordinator in a new nursing home that hadn't yet opened. I got the details off her and I was round there like a shot!

The upshot is that I am moving mum to the new nursing home when they are able to take her. In the meantime, I got the mobile number of an MD of the company that runs mum's current nursing home and complained to her. I had a meeting with the MD and two Operations managers and I thought that things would improve. Boy, was I wrong!

After yet more complaints from mum's friend and finding that the MD was on holiday, I reached the end of my tether and sent a complaint to the CQC, who contacted the Home Manager, who almost certainly contacted head office. I got an e-mail from the Senior Operations manager inviting me to another meeting, where I was metaphorically savaged for being "aggressive" and "intimidating" to staff at the nursing home. I am as aggressive and intimidating as a dead sheep! The next point will be of interest to anyone that has Power of Attorney.

Not a lot of people know this (myself included), but Enduring Power of Attorney gives you the authority to act on someone's behalf for property and financial affairs ONLY. I had no authority over mum's personal welfare and so all of the supplements that I had put her on to help her mental function were stopped pending investigation by an NHS dietician despite mum's GP O.K.'ing me to supply them.

The only way that I can have authority over mum's personal welfare is to become her Deputy, which means applying to the Court of Protection. COP1, COP1B, COP2, COP3 & COP4 are the relevant forms, plus COP44A as I would apply for fee exemption on the grounds of low income.

I also have to register my Enduring Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian, as mum's mental faculties are such that she can no longer make important decisions for herself. You need the Enduring Power of Attorney registration pack (ZIP 0.94MB).

I also contacted the Social Services Access Team to report mum as a vulnerable person at risk. There's going to be a "robust" meeting next week.

Continued on A slight hitch, Part 3.