Mum goes into the Care Home.

Monday 9^th August 2010

Daphne from Park View Care home phoned to say that they have a room ready for mum, it is on Ash Unit Room 36, and could we take her in either Tuesday or Wednesday.  I told her I would have a word with Michael and Teresa and I would phone her back.

I got in touch with Michael and he said that he was fine about taking mum into Park View on Wednesday afternoon; he told me that Teresa would phone me when she got home from work. I phone Daphne at Park View and told her that Michael and Teresa would bring mum in on Wednesday afternoon.

When Teresa phoned she said that she was OK about going in with Michael on Wednesday and we arranged to meet at mums tomorrow (Tuesday) to get things ready for her to take with her, she asked if mum knew and I told her that she didn’t she said that we should tell her.

When Michael went to pick her up on Saturday she wasn’t in and he found her in the supermarket, she had a packet of sausage casserole mix and a bread sauce mix in her basket, when they got back to her house they couldn’t get in as she hadn’t taken he key with her, she had come out of the front door and shut it behind her.

Tuesday 10^th August 

We got to mums just before 8am, I gave her breakfast and her medications and helped her have her bath. After her bath I told her about going on a little holiday tomorrow, she said very loudly ‘Oh no’ (I felt awful, as I knew that she had realised in her own way that she was going into a care home) she asked me if they knew, I asked her if she meant Michael and Teresa and she said ‘Yes’, she then asked if they know too, she pointed to the ceiling I asked her if she meant the people who owned the house and she said ‘Yes’ again, I told her not to worry about that but she kept on and on about it, in the end I asked her if she would like me to tell them and she ‘Yes’, so I said that is what I would do. She said that I am not going for long, I kept changing the subject.

We went up to the supermarket and got a few bits for her and then we went to D & D’s for coffee.  I phoned the carers and cancelled them from Wednesday evening and had a talk with Jane the owner and explained everything that was happening.

We met Teresa in Cranbrook and we went to mums.  John dropped us off and we sorted out her things to take in with her, clothes etc.  We also put in her wall clock, 2 books and her photo album.  Teresa washed and set her hair for her. Lissa and Frankie also came over to see mum before she went into the care home tomorrow

The carer was late at lunchtime as they had had an emergency call out, she had given mum a cooked meal that I had taken over.

Mum wanted to go to bed at 5pm but we managed to keep her up until the carer came in, she gave mum a sandwich and her medications.  Michael came in and he had a cup of tea with us, we left mums at 6pm he took me home and then took Teresa home.

Wednesday 11^th August

Sharon Hale phoned me and said ‘your mums gone into the care home then?’ I said that yes she had gone in today, she asked me for the full address and phone no. she thought that mum was going in on the 18^th not today!

I asked Sharon about mums pension and attendance allowance etc and she told me to leave it until next week to sort out just in case mum comes home, also to do the same with the Housing association, mum will continue to get her pension and KCC  will bill either me or Michael

I think that mums pension will be paid into her bank account so a direct debit could be set up to pay the KCC to pay mums portion of the care home fees, mum gets to keep £23.00 of her pension as ‘pocket money’.

She is not sure how long we get to sort out the house it does all depend on the housing association but she thinks it is between 2 – 4 weeks.

Michael phoned me to say that it all went OK but mum said that she is only staying for a week and then she is coming home as it is full of old people in here! She also said to Michael, shall we go home, he told her that they had paid for a week’s holiday so she had to stay. She said that she wanted to go home; 

Michael told me that we would give it a week and if she didn't settle we would have to bring her home.I told him that we had all got to pull together; I had been to the hospital today and have got to have a knee replacement within the next 3 months and that I would be out of action for about 6 weeks and that I couldn’t do it, he told me that was when Teresa goes to Australia, I felt really upset.

Michael said that they had told them at the care home to leave it for a couple of days before going in to see her, I told him that I would not be going in until next week as I was originally advised to do by Sharon Hale at Social Services.

Thursday 12^th August

I phoned Park View to see how mum was they told me mum was fine, she had slept OK and was in the dining room having her breakfast and did I want to talk to her but I said that I wouldn’t as she thinks that I am in hospital but tell her I phoned and that I am OK.

Friday 13^th August

Phoned the care home and they told me that mum is eating, drinking and sleeping OK but she had been asking how she could go out and go home and also asked where her family were.  I asked if we could take a TV in for her and they told me that they would put one in her room for her.