tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330415.post5299887343242126093..comments2021-10-17T05:27:07.319+01:00Comments on Bernardine Kennedy: Sheds and other bits and piecesBernardine Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15013114730458750417noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330415.post-69151321415347681052009-05-14T21:43:00.000+01:002009-05-14T21:43:00.000+01:00No need to defend anything that you said- It's cle...No need to defend anything that you said- It's clear that there were problems, I was just surprised that the professionals in the studio didn't say much about it! With your experience in social care, you must know how easy it is to be in a damned if you do damned if you don't situation, and social workers come in for a lot of criticism, not all of it their fault or for things within their control. <br />A few years ago all the press was about care orders being to easy to obtain, social workers were needlessly breaking up families, etc, now in the wake of baby p it's swung the other way. <br />In a way it's good that elder care has reached the national agenda, but we must be very careful about strategising from only a handfull of examples.<br />Anyway, thanks for taking an interest in my comment (and your kind wishes to my grandmother), and I'll follow what happens with interest.JuJuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01790838078043429668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330415.post-38588634055816721422009-05-12T19:01:00.000+01:002009-05-12T19:01:00.000+01:00Thanks for your comment. I would like to say in my...Thanks for your comment. I would like to say in my defence that I worked within Social Services for twenty years in various departments so I do understand the system fully! The Home Care service my mother received was disgraceful (I received a written apology) even taking into account the way they have to work which I also understand. <br />Did you notice that neother of the other professionals disagreed with me? Very telling IMO. <br />I hope all goes well with your grandmother, sometimes there are variations in individual workers and areas. <br />I am hoping the new proposals will rationalise the service across the country.<br />Maybe check the link to the Sunday Telegraph article which is more detailed. (I shall be blogging tonight/tomorrow and will put it up then).<br />Thanks again for taking the time to comment.Bernardine Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15013114730458750417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330415.post-279510135935254652009-05-12T18:33:00.000+01:002009-05-12T18:33:00.000+01:00I heard your interview on woman's hour today. My g...I heard your interview on woman's hour today. My grandmother is currently in a similar situation to your mother's (widowed, some difficulty living at home followed by hospitalisation) and we are looking at where she might live following discharge.<br />Social services have had contact for quite a long time and I recognised some of your experiences, but I felt that many of the problems you described were caused not by procedure but bad communication on their part. <br /><br />It sounds as though once your mother was in hospital they were reluctant for her to go home. This must have been distressing for you, but it might have been based on medical experience. Elderly people do not thrive in hospital, and a second admission in a short period of time is usually a sign that living at home is not working. They would then look for another option. They should have done more to include you in this process, but I am sure you can see their concerns. <br />When my grandmother came home from her second hospital admission, she quickly suffered two falls, dehydration and a UTI and was back in hospital within a fortnight, but had someone told us that discharging her into a nursing home would be for the best we wouldn’t have believed them until we tried the distressing alternative. <br /><br />Your opinion that their insistence on a care home was financially motivated was addressed on the programme in the social woker’s response but not very clearly. Social services are only financially better off with the care home option if the elderly person owns a home but has no cash. The council would fund at-home care in the event that the elderly person’s pension could not cover their expenses. A move to a care home would mean their house, now surplus to their requirements, would be counted in a means test, and its value would disqualify them from state benefits. It doesn’t sound like your mother was receiving benefits at home, so they would not have had a financial incentive to move her.<br /><br />On the subject of the untalkative home carers with the inconsistent hours- It's normal for them to be erratic in their timekeeping- they are visiting a lot of people and might need to stay a little longer in one place than another. We communicated with my grandmother’s by means of notes and the occasional meeting with a social worker. They obviously did not explain this, which might have saved some upset, but on the question of their attitude, if they are being shouted at while trying to help someone it isn’t surprising that they were reluctant to get more involved- they are only human after all.JuJuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01790838078043429668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330415.post-7230874519377159182009-04-30T10:18:00.000+01:002009-04-30T10:18:00.000+01:00Actually bought the Mail to read it, and made Phil...Actually bought the Mail to read it, and made Philly read it too. Excellent - also about Sunday Times (?) taking an interest.<br /><br />Love the shed piece. Would he like mine?<br /><br />xLesley Cookmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699182779296799170noreply@blogger.com