My cyber friend Jayne Connery is absolutely right CCTV should be mandatory in Care Homes.  This is not jumping on the bandwagon it is based on the experiences of Maureen and my brother.

Maureen was 78 on July  the 26th of this year.  I was shocked when I saw her condition as  I arrived at Ladysmith Road Care Home to wish her happy birthday: she had a black eye, a cut on her nose, and was complaining that her back hurt her. She told me that she had been pushed by staff on a trolley that collided with a door.   Care workers said that she had fallen out of bed. My concerns were raised even further when I attended a Review Meeting later in the morning when I was asked if Maureen often barricaded herself in a room and went to sleep on the floor.

I removed Maureen from Ladysmith Road very shortly after the Review Meeting as the medical opinion was that she was likely to deteriorate rapidly in this setting.  Once we were home Maureen continued to complain about back pain and the bruising on her face was becoming more prominent.  I became concerned that internal bleeding was taking place and took her to Grimsby Hospital.  Following examination and X-rays, she was discharged.  The examining doctor expressed surprise that she had not been brought to the hospital earlier.

When I raised my concerns with the Manager of the Care Home she stuck to their story: ‘she had fallen out of bed’.  She also advised me ‘Maureen had  only have been asleep on the floor of the small lounge for a short period of time’.  We will never know what really happened without CCTV.

One final point the Manager of Ladysmith Road told me that they had been encouraged to reduce admissions to A and E .  However, if a resident is on blood thinners has fallen and bruising is continuing that is another ‘no-brainer’

Quality sleep has become impossible in the last few days, as you will see from this page, and I’m worn out.  Following advice from Marie of the Home Treatment Team, I have made arrangements for Maureen to go into Ashgrove Care Home this morning.  My initial thoughts were to seek a short break but after another night of Maureen being in and out of bed, I hope to extend it beyond a couple of days.

The dangers of poor sleep are well documented and Carer Burnout is around the corner.  It may well be that medication or some significant changes in our routine are necessary to help solve this one!

Once Maureen is safely in Ashgrove I’ll be on my way to Madyhamaka Kadampa Meditation Centre (pictured above).  The peace and tranquility of such a setting are just what I need at this moment in time: ‘it’s a ‘no-brainer’ as Kelsang Dorde ( far right below) would say.

Cheers Dorde, it’s your round when I get up there this afternoon!

I had to resort to old technology to rescue Maureen from her kidnappers this morning.  YouTube was down due to technical difficulties so I hastily put on a compact disc of South Pacific.  Once we got to the ‘Dites Moi’ Maureen started to sing in French and I knew I was settling her into the present.

As Maureen lay down to have a rest she mentioned that ‘her memory had been playing up again’.  She looks terrified in these moments of self-awareness; struggling to understand that her memory issues are not resolved.  It is something that she needs to explore a little further and I’m hoping that Marie from the Home Treatment Team will be here this afternoon for the walk that was promised on Friday.

I think it is likely that Maureen will forget the detail of anything that Marie tells her about her faltering memory.  She may also decline invitations to attend activities that might help.  However, I’m sure she will recall walking in the fresh air with good company: two things she always enjoys!