Maureen is waiting for a bed on the Konar Suite – a specialist unit for dementia. Consultants have decided to review her diagnosis and monitor her presentation. They are hoping a bed might become available before the weekend.
The above news came late afternoon, so when Maureen finally lay on the sofa I took the opportunity of taking rest. I slept on and off until 10 ‘o’clock, an hour before a night-sitter arrived for her eight-hour shift. When she rang our doorbell I was pleased to see a familiar face who had helped us out on a previous occasion.
Night sits will become a permanent feature of our Care Plan – I have listened to our Key Worker at last!. We have decided to start with Wednesday’s and move on from there.
At 4 am I was woken by a deafening scream from downstairs: Maureen was scared to find a stranger in the house. It took a while to settle things down and reassure her she was in safe hands.
Following an early morning conversation with the Konar Suite, I have agreed to monitor how much food and drink Maureen is having. She has only sipped her first drink of the day after under-consuming yesterday.
I feel rejuvenated this morning following more sleep than I have had for weeks. I’m also reassured that a complete appraisal of Maureen’s condition is imminent. Once again, I’m very grateful for the services that are available in North East Lincolnshire – the Konar Suite is a rare commodity.
Two really good things happened last week. Firstly, our longest serving carer had a little girl: we understand mother and child are well. Secondly, her replacement managed to wash Maureen’s hair and give her a full body wash. It looks like the ‘new kid on the block’ is now Maureen’s hairdresser. Consequently, I have withdrawn from today’s Teepa Snow Webinar on Bathing Issues as personal care needs to be in the safe hands of ‘the ladies’. My focus needs to be on the completion of our renovations and securing adequate coaching.
