Several people have questioned why I keep a close check on how Maureen is doing when she is in a Care Home. I suppose it all started a couple of years ago when I went to visit her in Ladysmith Road Care Home and found her bruised and battered – as you will see in the picture below. Once again I have erased her eyes to preserve her anonymity.
The Care Home said she fell out of bed: sustaining severe bruising to her face and head. They chose not to send her to the hospital or inform me of the incident, which I found bemusing. Unfortunately, this has not been the only occasion when I have had misgivings about Maureen’s welfare during Respite Breaks.
Imagine my concern a couple of years ago when I received a phone call from Ashgrove Care Home to inform me that the police had found Maureen in someone’s garden and they didn’t even know that she was missing. Then on another occasion, I found her in an unused part of the building in an unlit room struggling to open the door.
I bought my last Respite Break, when Maureen was in Alderlea Care Home, to a premature end. She had not slept in a bed for the duration of her stay and I didn’t warm to residents being unsupervised when I popped in one evening.
There have been times when Ashgrove has been in Special Measures. A new Mangement Team has recently worked closely with the Clinical Commissioning Group to raise standards. From what I’ve seen and heard Maureen is in safe hands. I need to let them get on with their job: they will get in touch with me if there is anything I need to know!
Dementia: Sharing The Good Times 