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Location: South Oxon/Berks, UK
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 167
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District nurses/Mum and where to go
Long winded story but basically my Mum (65yo) has had ulcerated legs for well over a year. Her mobility severely affected and she's incontinant. She also has been diagnosed with hemiparesis (not sure of spelling) by virtue of a brain scan.
Was hospitalised on the IOW for over 3 months, finally discharged home only to then be taken to nursing home as District Nurses concerned for her health and welfare in Dec of that year.
We managed to get her transferred to the mainland in a sheltered housing flat closer to family in March of this year, again her legs were still ulcerated etc. New GP, new DN's and no partner to mentally abuse her. She had carers coming in three times a day to help her with meals and emptying commode etc.
Was hospitalised in bed for almost 7 weeks as was poorly infection etc. On her return to home the DN's made her sign up to a care plan where she agreed that she would be in bed 24/7 for two weeks as her legs were again sliding back wards swelling and lots of exudate. Her legs then got septic which meant another hospital admission (by the same DN) and she's been in hospital for 2 weeks.
In her DN's note folder it says that Mum is not compliant (they have found her out of bed when she should have had her egs elevated) and is making them feel uncomfortable when they visit her, she rolls her eyes when they try and dress her legs, mutters under her breath or becomes verbally aggressive with them. (I know she's in pain from her legs but she has been on morphine based pain killers for almost a year now too).
She complains that the DN who has had to ring to admit her to hospital scrubs her legs like they are doorstops causing her more pain, she also says that the DN is ramming the fact down her throat that her dressings are expensive (3k a month) and her hospital bed has cost them a £1000 to get for her. Mum isn't bothered by this and thinks she has earned the right to treatment from paying in her NI stamps. She also counters her own bed cost more than the hospital bed.
We are now in a situation that my Mum is now medically fit for discharge however the DN's are blocking her discharge saying that my Mum needs nursing home care as she's not compliant and also her incontinence issues where she is not using the commode in hospital but bed pans also mean her care needs are higher than what can be provided in the community. We have a case conference on Tuesday where Dr's, the head DN, the OT lady, myself and my Mum plus her medical advocate are attending.
My Mum is saying that everyone is ganging up on her (even alluded that I was too), she states that the District Nurses are lying and that she was in bed. However I am sceptical as her legs were so much better from her first hospital stay on the main land, they got worse within 2 weeks of her coming home. She is adamant that she was in bed however from the notes in her DN's file it's stated that they have found her out of bed. My Mum is adamant that she is NOT going into a Nursing Home.
Does anyone know what happens in cases like these?
The hospital want to discharge her ASAP, but obviously Mum has to have her care plan in place prior to her leaving hospital. If the DN's are refusing to sign off for her to go home to the sheltered housing flat does she have any choice i.e. she has to go to a nursing home regardless of what she wants?
It's causing me lots of headaches/stress.
Mum just tries her normal coping strategy of either tears or verbally aggressive to get people to back off.
She also thinks I am colluding with the nurses and want her in a nursing home....all I want is what is best for Mum and if she isn't being co-operative with the nursing profession what can I do, her choices/decisions have got her in this situation..but how can I make her see this??
She's promised the DN's she'd do various things and she obviously has thought she knows better with her legs than the nurses etc. So hasn't complied and that's why she's in this situation.
ARRRGHHH
Any ideas thoughts gratefully received.