nursing homes + care homes
 

Just wondering
Anne and Slinky work in nursing homes
would you put your parents or family in one ?
or if older would you go voluntarily?
to help family out

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Why you asking are you getting worried! lol

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i would never ever put a parent in a nursing/residential home, i have worked in several over the years and they are awful, i worked at Altham care home, the hollies, le-moors, sparthfield and crawshaw hall in crawshaw booth rawtenstall and ive also worked in the community looking after the elderly and disabled, i wouldnt trust any of them, i'd rather look after my dad myself

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Sometimes you have no choice but to put an elderly relative in a nursing home, I'd never put them in a residential home for the elderly, there is a difference I believe.

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I’ve worked in them over the years and I’ve met some wonderful and caring people, unfortunately I’ve also met some real ********. There's a very fine line between caring and abusing and quite often people slip through the net of checks that are in force and go on to make peoples life miserable.

Other elements that go on the make life grim for people living in some care homes is the lack of relevant training for staff and managers, poor house keeping, stinking of pee, poor nutrition and looking like the cast of a homeless drama and sat round the edges of the day rooms etc, are all of the negatives that people fear.

Fortunately the vast majority of care homes safeguard those in their care and there are some very pleasant places. Would I place a relative in one? No.

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old people tend to lose there independance when they go in them places, my grandma went in ones years ago and she hated it, so no i wouldnt put a relative in there, unless he/she was a nasty git:rolleyes:, but i certainly wouldnt like to go in one, no thankyou, think id rather be dead

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TRY avoiding the crap then :rolleyes:

I have worked in Nursing homes and residential homes. I know the bad and I know the good ( occupational hazard, ya get to find out the good from the bad).

It is a very very hard decision to make when anyone has to put their loved one in a nursing home, be it a Mother, father, husband, wife or even child.
No-one can say for sure what they would do/have to do, under these circumstances, and I don't think it is a decision that is made lightly by any family.

As what Mick asked..... yes I would. I know the very best ones and I know the very crap ones. There is a lot of stigma attached to nursing homes, but, carers that I have had the fortune of working with are very very professional and good at their jobs. It is a 24 hour job looking after someone who is very very poorly, and in todays society, where women have a house to keep, children to bring up and go to work full time, its very difficult to look after another sick family member around the clock. Back in the older days, when women stayed at home, it was the norm that sick members of the family would be looked after at home, but, un fortunately, due to todays high demands on family life, it's not possible.

And at the other end of the scale, it's very hard for a man/women of 80 years old to look after the needs of husband/wife through deterioration of health 24 hrs a day.

NO-one can say what they would do if they WERE ever faced with the prospect, until they are faced with it.


(( thats my two penneth worth )) :D

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OH and another thing..... if you are prepared to work in a nursing/care home that you think is crap and care is bad and do nothing about it, then you ARE as bad as the rest of the scum that keep it hush hush :mad:

I worked in a nursing home once for 4 hours..... I walked out in the end and cried buckets when I got home.... the care in that place was shocking...and YES, it was reported.:mad:

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I believe you HAVE to take NVQ and go on courses on a regular basis now by law
i know Anne had to take her NVQ 3 and was asked to take the Managers course too

i don't think i would mind going into a good home as long as they had broadband:D

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to answer mick, i personally would not go in one, i also agree with slinks wholeheartedly there is some very good uns, the reason i wouldn,t go in one,aint any reflection on care homes,its just the way i'm built, independant and more importantly too damn stubborn. cant answer for parents,mine are long gone, but if they were not, its not summat anyone can honestly say until it ever crops up, cos everyone circumstances now may well be differant further down the line. life CHANGES all the time.;)

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There are still quite a lot of places advertise in Observer for un trained carers ( although it does say, must be willing to work towards NVQ)

There are mandatory training sessions that EVERY care/nursing home MUST adhere to............

Health and safety
Manual Handling
fire safety training
Basic first aid
and where you are required to handle food ... basic food hygiene.

Anyone can be trained in these things.... but it takes good carers and managers to keep checks that these things are being done day in day out.

I am trained to NVQ level 3, with a hell of a lot of other things that I trained for..... the last nursing home that I worked in was a stickler for training courses....but its all worth while :)

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Do you know cashy... you are every good carers dream!! we love you ****** that are stubborn and determined to keep on them old pins.... thats what keeps us buggers going.:D

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I would rather my family put me in one than become a burden on them.

( No Slinky you don't need to send me a brochure just yet :D )

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This is one of the reasons i asked this my mum is 76 fine in body but starting with dementia
just forgetting little things like cleaning ,
she was very house proud but on visiting her we find things very dirty
for one we always go to the chippy rather than cook a meal there
she is very independent , lives on her own seeing two husbands off and being an ex nurse herself .
she lives in Preston my brother gets her shopping at weekends etc but cant look after her 24,7 the way she is going she will out live both of us .

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It's awful when the head goes before the body or vice versa....:(

You could have a word with social services and see if there is a care package that would suit her needs in her own home?? maybe someone to just have a little peep on her at certain times in the day??

Re: nursing homes + care homes
 

****** off, we wouldn't have ya... mel will have to carry on the bed bath's :D

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I'd rather have my mum live with me and get home help. If she said she wanted to go in one then fair enough but I wouldn't put her in one without her saying so.

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yep Slinky Anne has to go on them on a regular basis too
The home Anne works at is one that keep you on your toes
the unfortunate thing is our doc is Dr Dixon is also the doc for the nurseing home and you know what he is like (thinks he is a comedian) every time Anne has to see him the first question he asks is not how are you but who have you killed today:D

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LOL yep he is my GP and he was the in-house doctor for Springhill to. He has a cracking sense of humor for a doctor :D

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Absolutely. It’s important that staff feel they can talk to their managers and that managers are prepared to listen. A good whistle blowing policy is fundamental to good caring as is adult protection training. Of increasing importance is mental capacity, respect for the preferences of service users. There are so many views and opinions in regards to care practice today as well as government initiatives and white papers that are intended to improve care delivery, and What’s really needed is a properly trained, well motivated work force delivering good old person centre care.

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I have worked in a fair few nursing homes in the past. Some are good and some are bad. The bad ones got reported. I worked in homes by going through an agency whilst I was waiting for a hospital job to come up. It was no skin off my nose to report bad ones, my livelihood didn't depend on having to work in them. I had at least 80 hours a week offered through the agency for an RGN so could pick and choose my work.
I think that some staff wouldn't report poor care practices because they have nowhere else to go and would depend on a reference from their employer for another job. This doesn't excuse them in my book, I would much rather employ someone who would speak out about poor standards and try to improve levels of comfort and care.

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In theory, reporting a bad care home doesn't mean it's going to be closed, just the management will be monitored or replaced etc to make it good again, so workers shouldn't fear losing their jobs over it. After all, if they where sacked it would be unfair dismissal and they could sue if they wanted to or take it to a tribunal. Everyone should try be a member of a trade union too, whatever their career.

Of course, it doesn't always work that way, but thats the way it general works.

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Me to, finding them is always going to be difficult. I know, I'm trying....

The best I can offer for Domiciliary is 5.90 per hour (add 60p for weekends), petrol, two complete uniforms, in house Induction based on Mulberry House training, followed by CIEH accredited mandertory courses and NVQ up to level 3. and an open door policy that supports staff both in the office and in the field, this is based on a hourly rate of 10.50p. Not easy. Quite often you can make an hell of an investment before you really get to see someones true colours, I sure you would agree it can be the same in nursing. The registers are fine when people are reported, but what's needed is openness between employers to keep the bad buggers out of the system in the first place. But I do agree with what is been said here.

If people are looking you can check the Inspection Reports from CSCI here...

Commission for Social Care Inspection - Directory of care services

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I think that the carers who are employed should be those who WANT to care.......and those training courses, well I have delivered training to staff (carers) who just saw the training day as a 'skive'.......a day away from the coal face so to speak.......I have also heard those on training courses say they were 'sent'...this means that they aren't all that interested in what is being delivered.
Carers should be able to see the relevance of the training they are doing and be able to appreciate the impact of such training on the work they do every day.

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god ive just realised its 16 yers since i did my NVQ, i was one of the first in Hyndburn to do it just after they came out

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Totally agree.......I had a meeting with a training provider today and these very issues where discussed. They agreed that they would conduct an individual appraisal of candidates, their conduct and their participation on the courses, and have agreed that anyone who is not engaging or giving their full attention are asked to leave the course irrespective of who they are. I’ve often asked people to leave inductions, courses or meeting when they have failed to be attentive.

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I must be one of the minority. I always enjoyed training courses and on 3 monthly supervisions, would always ask to be sent on any that had places. I dunno, I just like learning things that I don't know about, and most of the courses are quite interesting and you get some other point of views.

I do know what you mean though Margaret...seen it myself.

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I think that sometimes we forget the valuable contribution that older people have made to our society......they are almost disposable.
Carers should be able to feel that they are doing something good and valuable, even though the rates of pay do not always reflect that.

Leadership should be emphasised too, with senior staff working alongside younger/junior carers.......demonstrating good practice.
Staff should also feel that their ideas are taken notice of and listened to...and maybe implemented if comfort and care beneffits can be realised......and I'm sure that in the best homes these things are probably what set them apart from the standard homes.

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What I found MOST enjoyable during my nursing career was the 'hands on' care giving.
I often thought that the auxiliary nurses had the best job.

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Like some of us that are going grey, you will remember Auxiliaries being made up in the hospitals to EN Status to reflect their experience, practise, and inter personal skills. impossible today, but many care staff are lift un supervised to deliver complex care in care homes and the community with very little training or experience.

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That is a very sad indictment on how little we value the care of our elderly and infirm.

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It's very sad how social services have been limited on the amount of care they can put in place now (without it being paid for by the person or family) :(

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Like a lot of things today Mrs Pilkington it comes down to money and it's not getting any better. But we must believe and trust that there are those out there that do care and are doing all they can to give a good solid service. We have to invest in care and the future of an increasinly againg workforce. I look at my self in the mornings and dread to think what would happen to me when and if I need care. I'm doing all I can to provide a responsible domiciliary care service to those who live those fears now. I've 30k into my agency, I'll make around 150k in the first year, but all we'll take out in income is 12k the rest goes back in to building up the company and a flexible and responsive workforce. Thank god for my NHS penson.......:rolleyes: all £160 a month of it.....:p

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so what areas will your agency be covering Doug?? service and geography wise :)

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It's bad in Blackpool and Blackburn and Darwin. Not too bad in the rest of Lancs. LCC is engageing with providers and promoting the best possible care outcomes for service users, but money is in real terms very limited.

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funny how they are two unitary authorities too :rolleyes:

plus quick edit your post it's Darwen not Darwin !!!!! Jambutty will have your guts for garters

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The Wyre District. Form Cleveleys, Poulton, over Wyre up to Galgate including the back of beyond over the back of Garstang, including the Trough of Bowland. Timing could have been better with the cost of fuel and all that.


Would you like a Job.......:)

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He already has, a couple of times.....:D It's because my office is on Darwin Court. I get confused and I only young.....:rolleyes:

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A job??? Crikey got my handsful with the one I have now!!!! But cheers anyway :)

Re: nursing homes + care homes
 

Yes i would been there and had the tshirt. Some homes i put my mother in - she never went back, others she went back to them time and time again. When she got worse she had to go to one with an EMI unit - and god i hated that home - but mum said it was ok - and went back twice - the last time was just before she died. It was a fight to get her to go as she was going in on respite for a week or 2 weeks. Before she died i was told by our social worker for my own health it was time for mum to go into a home full time - i was finding it hard to deal with her - she had me in tears a few times, carers were refusing to come to our house to get her up and she needed care 24 hrs a day.

Its true though some homes they didnt seem to care, others pretended to care when family or visitors were around and as soon as they went they ignored them, other homes they did seem to care. Best was mum - she told us what was going on - what it was like if they looked after her. Cos mum was going in on respite under the lcc scheme the social worker always gave us a form to fill in on how we rated the home etc which we filled in with mums help. Most of the homes did say they'd have her back - a couple of them wouldnt and told us as well.

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Maybe you should start a thread of good and bad care homes so people know where to send their loved ones if the time comes. If they've been tried and tested, maybe bad experiences will only happen twice. Otherwise I think this thread isn't getting as much use out of it as it could.

Re: nursing homes + care homes
 

It takes a lot for me to decline a care package on the ground of a service user being difficult to care for, be it on health grounds or just being difficult. Someone has to take the lead, care staff refusing to deliver care isn’t rare nor is action against them for doing so, again someone needs to make a case for the service user, if they don’t go in to a package others will.

One very valid issue that you touched on is the needs of the family or main carer, we have to understand and cater for their needs as much as the service use. The worst thing is we tend to forget the needs of carers and families when their love ones pass away.

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Seeing as its little things such as forgetting to clean the place,have you thought about getting her assessed for sheltered accomodation instead of a nursing home?

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You can use the Commission for Social Care Inspection web site to judge standards of home via the inspection reports or the best way I have found is to select half a dozen and make arrangements to visit them, then its a case of using your eyes, hears and nose. talk to staff, residents and visitors. A care home should be a home, if it's too bright and shiney and the residents can't interact then I'd be weary.

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If she has the onset of dementia (diagnosed) she would probably fail the assessment for sheltered accommodation as it classed as independant living

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You would be very suprise how many dementia suffers live alone in the community with only domiciliary support through the day, quite often these are victims of less professional companies who encorage their staff to do a quick in and out so they can get more people on there books. Its sickening, worse still it continues to happen.

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Ah well thats good advice for Mick, and maybe he'll be able to take your advice, obviously you have a good idea.

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I don't disagree with you doug and many with dementia continue to live in their own home too... but when I assess someone for sheltered accommodation, I take professional advice on their diagnosed illnesses and the onset of dementia (dependant on how long it had been diagnosed and how far on it was) has to be considered seriously..we have to consider not only the client but also the others living in the sheltered complex

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Are you sure you don't want one............:)

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I will come an work for you Doug if I ever manage to convince Mick to move to Blackpool.

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There are god and bad in every thing and homes for the elderly are no different. As I said in another thread I served on the LCC Social Services Liaison and we visited these homes every six months and I found that most were okay, mind you here are none left to inspect as LCC have nearly sold them all. As for private homes I can only speak on those I have actually visited and they were pretty fair.

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The only thing really I dont agree with is paying for it out of their life saving:(

It should be FREE

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Why should it be free to live once you get old? I can understand how it'd be a nice gesture to make it free but peoples wages need to be paid to help run these places and everything.

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This thread is sort of giving me a guilt trip. My mum finished up in a Residential Home at the end of her years (was 89). She wasn't suffering too much from senile dementia (hell, could do the Daily Mirrors Quiz crossword within the hour). Just that she was terribly forgetful, not turning off oven jets, asking son how old he was a few times within half hour, unsteady on her feet, forgetting where I worked, broken hip just falling over whilst kneeling down lighting fire etc.

Lived with brother at the time, but was obvious was getting impossible to watch her at all times. I was rearing a 10-year old and helping with 3-year grandaughter .. 8 nights out of 11, and working in Manchester.

Think she understood and went in without grumbling. They were very kind and, although couldn't go without shedding a tear (self indulgence). think she was comfortable.

Yes, I do feel guilty .. but I would not expect my kids to look after me 24/7. If decent home, can be like a hotel .. waited on hand on foot, no housework, no cooking .. roll on .. :D Am confident would get put in a good one, due to the agency work my daughter did in many homes around here (and she is very forceful with her opinions and knowledge of what is good and bad) .. so I count myself lucky.