So, as a result of things reaching a crises point last week, all sorts of wheels were put in motion (some very unwelcome). One of them was reassessing my care package. Between the hospice, care agency and NHS funding department it was decided I should have a live in carer. This on the the face of it sounds good, and from my care point of view it is. But having a carer in the house all the time is understandably intrusive for Tracy who finds their current presence levels stressful. So if the arrangement is to work we need to find an appropriate solution!
Next they decided that all transfers including toilet transfers required a second carer because they wouldn't allow me to use a standing hoist anymore and full hoisting requires two carers! So they wanted double up carers at 4 specific times of the day to cover bed and toilet transfers. This would negate any advantage of the flexibility of the live in as I would need to be at the house at specific times to use the toilet, not to mention the expectation for me to crap on demand!
However I insisted they assessed using standing hoist at the hospice which is better than mine. Thankfully they agreed so I only need two carers for bed transfers although I now have to spend £2500 on the new hoist!
But until it arrives (upto 4 weeks ) I need two carers for all transfers. And there lies the reason why I am stuck at hospice until Monday; having insisted on these new conditions, the care agency don't have sufficient carers to delivery it until next week. So they basically said either stay in the hospice or be cared for at home but in the bed! Needless to say, being told this an hour before being due to go home pissed me off no end.
You might be thinking, what's the big deal? Well it's soul destroyingly boring here even by my tedious existence standards. There is absolutely nothing to do for the 7 hours between carer visits. I can either stay in my room and watch tv without being able to change channel or sit in the coffee shop and listen to people discuss their relatives funerals. I opt for half and half. It's tolerable for a few days but not for nearly a fortnight
The hospice staff have all been lovely and have tried their very best to sort out everything
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2 comments:
Would a visit help to break up the day? Alice is at school tomorrow and I am not working so it wouldn't be too difficult to come over. I'm not much of a talker but I can turn the pages of a newspaper or even the NME! Or perhaps we could play the Song Game - use 1 word from the previous song title or another song by the same artist....
Oh steve its horrible youre stuck in the hospice. Is there anyway someone else could be the second "carer" for 4 times a day just to get you out sooner and give you a degree of flexibility? Hopefully sitting in your garden will seem glorious after sitting in that place listening to morbid talk. Will you have more say in when you get up and go to bed with a live in carer? That would be a vast improvement.
Hope you get out soon,
Laura XX
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