Mum was sitting in the lounge with a new lady who we hadn't seen before, she was verbally very muddled, we sat with her and watched some of the Olympics, we wondered if she has another water infection as she is so muddly today.
We took her to her room and brushed her hair, Tina told us that Teresa had asked for mum to have her hair permed on Friday and then a shampoo and set every week, I was worried that mum would not be able to sit through having a perm, Teresa and I had already agreed on that, I think that Tina must have got that wrong. Mum has often got to the hairdressers and then refused to have her hair done and they cannot force her.
Sunday 5th August
Daphne phoned to say mum had yet another fall she had tried to find the handrail and had missed, she has a bruise on both of her hips, she said that she is going to do another urine test and said that mum was very grumpy and aggressive today, she had refused to open her eyes this morning to have her eye drops put in. I think that Daphne is firmer with her and mum retaliates.
Michael and Linda went in yesterday and had taken her out.
Wednesday 8th August
Teresa text and said that when she went in to see mum today she wasn't too well, she had a UTI and also an upset tummy, I told her that we were going in to see her on Friday, I also told her about mum having a fall on Sunday.
Thursday 9th August
I phoned the care home and spoke to Tina and asked her how mum was, she said that mum was in her room but she seemed brighter today, I said that we would be coming in to see her tomorrow.
Friday 10th August
Mum in the lounge, Cynthia was just getting her into the wheelchair to take her to the hairdressers, her hair looked fine to me. We took her into the garden, it was looking really lovely, they have put a really nice raised bed with a fish pond and we tried to show mum but she really wasn't interested. I took my floppy hat again which she kept on but wasn't to happy about. She loved the roses, she couldn't tell us what they were just that they were flowers.
We took her round the garden and sat in the shade, she kept saying it was nice and looked brighter today, when we took her back in she was very tired and we took her to her room and put her TV on, she looks so small now, her arms and hands are so thin, she has a few bruises where she fell.
John found a tablet on the floor which the carers must have dropped, he gave it to Daphne,she was very matter of fact about it and said that it was only a statin !
Teresa is going in tomorrow.
Monday 13th August
Mums friends Jean, Bett and Hilda went in to see mum today, Jean said that Hilda was shocked when she saw her, which is not surprising as when she last saw mum she was a lot bigger and now she is so small and frail. She said that mum looked well but didn't know who they were but very happy to have visitors.
Thursday 16th August
We really shocked when we saw mum today, she was asleep in her chair and looked very weak and frail, it took quite a while to wake her up, she didn't know who we were. There was a jam sandwich on the floor, not happy as she is suppose to have all her food liquidised. When Tina came in to do mums eye drops mum told her that I was Teresa, I gave Tina the sandwich.
Mums speech has got very bad now. A carer came in and left mum a thicken tea and a yogurt, I got her to eat the yogurt but had trouble with the tea as it kept dribbling down her chin and onto her chest, I asked the carer if mum could have a cup with a spout on as she was finding it hard to drink from an ordinary cup... the carer went into the corridor and shouted 'Annie's family want her to have a cup with a spout on' she was away for ages, when she came back she said that she had found a cup but not a spout, she tried to force mum to drink some, then said that she couldn't do it. I asked her if mum was having fluids as it was important for her and she must have help eating, she said she was and not to worry.. We didn't feel to happy with the situation.
We tried to have a word with Tina but she was bathing on of the other residents. I phoned later in the afternoon and told her that I wasn't happy with the way the carer treated mum and asked about mums eating and drinking, she said that mum couldn't have a cup with a spout as she has to have thickening in her tea to help her swallow, she is given her food and if she doesn't eat it they feed it to her. I asked her about the jam sandwich and she said that mum enjoys them, I told her I wasn't happy as the GP said that her food has to be liquidised. Tina said that she will make a note in the communications book that mum needs help with her drinks. I also asked Tina not to send mum to the hairdressers if she is the same tomorrow.
Text Teresa and told her mum not to well today.
Sunday 19th August
Teresa phoned to say they had been in to see mum and that she was't too good, she wasn't able to get out of her chair last night and they had to use the hoist to get her up, which mum didn't like. It took 4 of them to get her into the wheelchair.
They took her round the park and that she was very talkative. They had weighed her today and she has lost 4 stone in the last year! They told her the same as me that if she doesn't eat her food they feed her.
Teresa had a word with Daphne and asked if mum could see the doctor on Tuesday afternoon when he comes. Teresa is going to be there when he comes. Daphne wonders if there is something else going on with mum.
Monday 20th August
I spoke to Daphne, she said that mum was brighter today and had managed to get up herself and they didn't have to use the hoist, she said that she thinks mum may have 'forgotten' how to do things, that can be part of the illness.
Text Teresa and past on the information.
Wednesday 22nd August
We took Dib in with us today, he was quite shocked with just how much weight mum had lost,she was sitting by the carers stations. John waved to her and she waved back, I don't think that she knew who he was, she called Dib Char when he asked if he knew who he was but later on called him Dibber. When John asked her what her name was she said Mrs Lee.. She wanted to go to the loo but the carers couldn't get her out of the chair then she said that she didn't want to go. Daphne said that it took 4 of them to get her out of the chair but when she wants to go anywhere she just gets up herself.
I gave her a yogurt and Yolanda (the carer) put her tea in a mug with a spout and she a little of it. I asked Daphne about the blood test and she said that the doctor is going to do them but didn't know when! She said that the doctor had told her that mum had the sort of dementia that plateaus and then she has episodes and goes down one more stage, the messages are not getting to her brain.
Sunday 26th August
Teresa phoned to say she went in to see mum yesterday and that she was very weak, she didn't look too bad, they took her over to Tesco but she wasn't really interested and wanted to go back. They had to get her out of the chair but had to call the carer to help. She now only weighs 8 stone.
Teresa is away this week so will not go in again until next weekend, she said that there still isn't any signs of a blood test, she is worried about what Daphne said about something else going on with mum.. We are wondering what will happen if mum doesn't eat will she be transferred to the nursing care part of the care home.
Wednesday 29th August
Mum was in the lounge she was very distressed and rambling saying 'they are killing me' .. I smelled that she had soiled herself and went to find someone to change her, I saw Tina and she said that they were busy at the moment, I made it clear that I was not happy, one of the other carers came along and she said that she would see to mum, when she arrived in mums room to help mum the weekly fire alarm went off and she left me with mum and went off to help sort the other residents out. I had to try and get mum to the toilet myself, when the carer came back I left her to deal with mum.
When mum was in the lounge there was a full mug of tea in front of her, which she would never have been able to cope with she also had a tablet in her mouth which she hadn't or couldn't swallow. In her room there was porridge all over the floor and yet another mug of cold tea...
Once we got mum changed and into her armchair she settled down and looked a lot calmer, another carer, who I hadn't seen before, came in with tea in a mug and a plate of biscuits I had to tell her that mum could not eat solids and could she please bring mum some yogurt, she said that she wasn't usually on mums unit and didn't know the the requirements of the residents, I wasn't impressed and told her that someone should communicate with all the carers and tell them the requirements of each person, mum could have choked on the biscuits. Tina came in and I got very cross with her about mums eating, she told me the same as last time about the food being put in front of her and if she didn't eat it they feed her. I said to her perhaps they were short staff, which she insisted that they weren't and that they have the allocated staff for 25 people which is 3 carers and 1 carer in charge, but then did admit that as they have several people who have deteriorated they really could do with more staff. I asked her about mums blood test and she said that she would phone the doctor and I went with her and spoke to Dr Chinnie, he said that he would get the district nurse to go in and do them, I asked him about mum not taking liquids and I was worried about mum getting dehydrated, he said that he would prescribe hi-energy drinks for her which she has had already and they weren't really successful, he said the only other way to get fluids into her was to have line put into her stomach but for that she would have to have nursing care and she would have to be reassessed by Salome and Social Services. Tina gave me the doctors number as he had said that we could phone and talk to him at any time.
Tina will also make a chart and put it in mums room so that they can keep an eye on mums food and liquid intake, she has also written in the communications book about mum and her having to have her food liquidised.
I told Tina that I would e-mail Salome as she wasn't in today and tell her that we weren't happy about what we had seen today, she said that was a good idea.
Phoned Teresa and told her all that had happened..
I got home and e-mailed Salome.
Copy of emails
Thursday 30th August
I phoned Teresa in the evening and read her the e-mails, she agreed that I had done the right thing as mums health and welfare are our first concern, she said that she will be going in on Saturday and will let me know how things are.
Friday 31st August
Tina phoned from the care home , she said that mum had a urine infection and low blood pressure, the doctor has started her on liquid antibiotics. Mum is finding it hard to swallow and couldn't swallow her morning capsule, the doctor told Tina to empty the contents into a drink, which they have done, the evening staff said that she had taken her evening capsule OK, they think it maybe because she is tired and doesn't have to think about it. They noticed last night that she drank her tea in a red cup so they gave the drinks that the doctor prescribe in it and she is drinking them too, it may simply be the fact that she doesn't like the see through mugs.
She is walking about today. Tina said they are finding it hard to get her to sit down.
Doctor seeing mum on Tuesday.
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