Hello, my dad is in hospital and we are waiting for social services to either put in a care package to assist with him being cared for at home (terminal phase) or finding a nursing home within the borough we live, the reasons I have created a topic is that I am having issues with nursing homes saying they cannot meet his needs and refusing to offer him a bed, he is on CHC fast track and the paperwork was submitted 7 days ago, he has now lost capacity and we had a best interest meeting 10 days ago, my mum and I have said we would care for him at home with the help from social services, district nurses on the understanding that we can gain some night cover as well, the discharge team have gone down two pathways, nursing and home discharge. Nursing would be better as we could spend all day with him but have the reassurance that a nurse is on site and we have support but this is proving difficult, my dad is very frail, has dysphagia and has lost ever so much weight, the nursing home where the CCG have identified a bed say it is in a small room upstairs that they usually use for someone who is mobile and that they are concerned that he might not be able to get into a lift to get him upstairs, these seem to be lame excuses to me but I am wondering if anyone else has had a nursing home say they ‘cannot meet a patients needs’ but the reasons don’t make sense. Also, has anyone cared for a loved one at home at the palliative stage and if so, have you managed to get the support you need. Dad is loved ever so much and we have been with him every day, hours on end and I just want to be armed with a bit of information tomorrow should the nursing home not reconsider their decision. Thanks
Hello Bluebellwood,
Hopefully someone in your position can answer but in the meantime you could try the helpline, they are very good on the occasions i have called. You can also search previous threads by inputting a word into the search box and you can pick and choose the ones youd like to read.
I would wonder if the nursing home response regarding the upstairs room is partially related to insurance and fire safety concerns? I have been looking at nursing homes online as my father is awaiting one but situation is not palliative more of a safeguarding and falls risk. The smaller properties tend to resemble large houses converted, the larger ones purposely built. So maybe the home is just genuinely concerned about access up and down the stairs
Hello Bluebellwood
I am sorry to hear news of your father and how difficult you are finding it to get things sorted out. I am not an expert but perhaps I can explain why what seems to you ‘lame excuses’ are in fact issues that the care home have to take into account.
First they say it is a small room - they need to be sure there is room for any equipment he might need such as a hoist or Turn Safe Disc as well as room for carers to assist him safely. Does this room have an en suite and again the issue of sufficient space could be problematic in a small room. As well as a duty of care for your father, they also have to ensure their staff have a safe working environment to be able to carry out their duties. If the size of the room does not allow this, it could put both your father and the staff at risk. By the same token they need to be able to get your father in/out of the lift safely. In addition to that there may be concerns about how to get him out of the building in the event of an emergency when the lift cannot be used -TheLippyOne touched on this too. Finally how much care does he need and can the care home provide this given the demands/needs that other residents have and can these be met by the current staff group. So you see they may seem ‘lame excuses’ to you but these sorts of issues need to be considered if your father, other residents and staff are all to be kept safe.
Tot
Hello again, the discharge team have sent another referral home to the care homes, having looked into it I have been told that managers can choose who they wish to take in as it’s written into the regs, my dad can get into a wheelchair so there is no issue with lifts and as he spends most of his day in bed I don’t think there is an issue with the size of his bedroom , he can mobilise with the assistance of 2 but due to pressure relief can’t be sat in a chair for too long. I’m hoping that we will find him something soon as the discharge planning meeting was 2 weeks ago and time isn’t on our side sadly. Thanks for taking the time to respond as it’s nice to hear other people’s point of view and suggestions
We have good news, the care home have agreed to take my father, this is such a relief to us all, he will move this week. We will continue to be at his side to help support the nursing staff and to spend time with him. Once again thanks for all your replies
That is very good news indeed. I am only sorry that you had to go through so much anxiety to get to this point. It sounds so simple when there is general agreement it would be in both the individual’s interests and that of anyone else involved but in actual fact, as you have found, it can be a complex business that is not easily understood by those who have had no prior experience of anything like this; as you yourself said it can seem like lame excuses. However you’ve now got what you wanted so much for your father. I hope the move goes well and that he settles quickly. I am sure he will benefit from having your continued support but also hope you can relax a little now too. Very well done for ‘hanging on in there.’ It’s not easy but you did it. Good luck and best wishes to you all as your father starts this new phase of his life.
Tot