Silverline

Mishap - what a distressing story and good that the woman was aware of Silverline. I had never heard of Silverline until I joined gransnet - I wonder if it is not publicized as much as childline. Although I hope that I never need its services it is good to know it is there for those that do.

Shocked emoticon from me! What a dreadful thing to happen in a care home. How terrifying for the residents and their loved ones and for those of us looking for residential care for our much loved relatives.

I've posted previously about the very positive experience we had recently, with the nursing home lovely mum in law lived in for her final 3 months. We looked at a dozen, before selecting the one she moved to. We looked at one well reviewed and Ofsted approved Bupa home. I wouldn't have wanted them to mind my dogs for half an hour frankly.

Great result from Silverline

Unfortunately, many care homes are just run as "for profit" businesses, and do not have moral responsibility.
A while ago an acquaintance of mine purchased a care home, purely because he saw it as a money making investment.

Agree pompa, profit doesn't sit easily with caring for the most vulnerable children or adults in our society.

When I was a SW I always found places for my elderly clients in local authority homes where possible (yes - they existed then!) - they always had higher standards, better staff training and excellent monitoring from within the organisation. One of my best friends ran one of these and it was exemplary.

Mishap What a shame that there are so few local authority homes left. Now, unfortunately the name of the game is "profit" - pay as little as you possibly can to staff and cut costs everywhere else also.

When I was an adult literacy teacher one of my students worked in a private old people's home. She told me that they cut down on absolutely everything, even products and equipment that were needed to maintain good hygiene standards.

My friend worked in a private care home and part of her duties was to plate up food at tea time around 5pm. Main meal was provided at lunch time.
Tea time was likely to be a slice of cooked ham and a half tomato with a slice of bread. It was firmly ruled that each resident got only one slice of bread.

One evening my friend got fed up with this. She buttered up more bread, opened a pot of jam and gave the residents a treat. Her heart was overflowing at the joy this treat provided.

Next shift my friend was taken into the office and reprimanded, an official warning was noted on her file. Not long afterwards she told them to keep their job.

I work in a care home and cannot believe some of the stories we hear on the news and from other people, unfortunately they are usually horror stories. I am extremely fortunate in that I work in a care home that is a home from home atmosphere. The residents choose their meals and they can eat when they want, they have alternatives to every meal should they not like the main choice. We have just bought a display fridge cabinet so that they can help themselves to drinks or snacks. I am the activity co-ordinator and with Christmas just around the corner we are all looking forward to a very festive season starting this Sunday with our friends/family decorating day followed by our first Christmas dinner of the season.
We are always welcoming volunteers so if there is anyone out there who feels alone especially at this time of the year then please contact me.

Eloethan and Mishap I agree fully about the benefits of care homes being not for profit care. It's not a guarantee that nothing will go wrong, but when the emphasis is on caring well for their residents, rather than just making money for shareholders, the focus of their business is likely to be less mercenary.

The now defunct Southern Cross company bought up many homes in our area and had a dreadful record for repeated concerns about poor care or potential abuse, they were involved in "investigations" on several of their sites.

The council home care staff had been very well trained and supervised and had on going training.
I knew someone who was trying to be recruited by a private sector agency, they had no previous experience and where just being offered two days training.

This particular person while not likely to harm anyone, would not have had a proper clue or coped with the job and fortunately did not go for the post.

Agency recruiters are no doubt paid a bonus for getting an employee. so they might be more worried about getting a bonus than employing the right person.

My Mum is in a nursing home in Australia having had a stroke. I wish every nursing home was run along the same lines. The staff are friendly and caring, when I was last there I could call in to see her at any time (no set visiting hours), if I called in at mealtimes I was offered a meal. The whole place has a happy feel to it (and no smell of urine). The only time a carer mistreated a resident (she shouted at her - no physical mistreatment) she was reported by the other staff members and promptly sacked!

I have seen a resident with dementia attack the carers and having to be restrained, but this was done as gently as possible whilst the carers talked quietly to the resident until she became calmer.

Good to hear from Theresa that not all care homes are as portrayed by the media. It is only the horror stories that make the press. Likewise Social Workers are pilloried for their failings but never praised when they get it right. The amount of money paid by local authorities is insufficient to pay for all the comforts that we would expect for our elderly relatives, and the fault in this lies, as far as I can see, with the double blow of Central government funding being reduced and most care homes being run as a profit making business. It is not unreasonable for a business, care home or otherwise, to expect to turn a profit, but it is unreasonable for the government to want it both ways. My MiL was in a lovely small care home near to us for the last year or so of her life and was very well fed and cared for and the door was open to visitors all day.

The care homes around here seem to be good.
No one seems to complain about them.

I sometimes wonder whether they are good because the staff are local. And are looking after local people. Therefore people they know, or people that people they know know. If you see what I mean!

I think probably we only hear about the bad ones - which is good, they should be exposed. Those which are good continue to carry on their work un-noticed, which is the way of the world, and we are thankful for those people who work in such a way.

soontobe I do think that what you say makes a lot of sense. Two of my aunts are in a nursing home in Ireland- the daughter of one of them works there part time and as you say, the other workers are fairly local so I doubt if much would be allowed to go wrong.