"It just feels like we are going around in circles"

I am saddened to have to write this but we as a family have had a negative experience with this team, or more to the point those who have attended to assess my father for his needs.

My father lives alone and had a minor fall at home due to suffering from dizzy spells due to having an infection coupled with low blood pressure. This ultimately led to complications at the hospital which resulted in a hospital stay in excess of 3 months.

On arrival back home in November we were assured that he had been referred to the Wishaw rehab team occupational health for assessment for his needs. this assessment took place near the end of February or the beginning of March. A full 3 months plus before he even received an assessment.

This meant that after over 3 months in the hospital where a fall in the hospital gave him a broken hip as well as 3 infections and near-death experiences, he then got left to his carers, bedridden at home because nobody came out to do the assessments. Not a letter or a phone call. They just turned up unannounced in late Feb/early March.

It seems a waste that he got a new hip in the hospital and can not use the hip due to the fact that he had not been assessed.

After he was eventually assessed, the person who assessed him stated that he was not suitable for a stair lift. First they said it was to encourage him to use the stairs so his muscles didn't waste away. When it was pointed out that after a trial of this system, we have noticed that he is very breathless after doing the stairs assisted and as he suffers from COPD we would like to review the decision and have a stair lift put in place.

2nd They suggested he move downstairs with his bed in his living room. Again, my father is 89 years old, he has his faculties and has his pride so does not want to use a commode and wishes to sleep in the same room as he did with my late mother. He has slept in this room for approximately 50+ years.

3rd They suggested that he get a sitting chair for his bedroom. His bedroom is about 6 ft/8 ft. Not really suitable for a chair, nor would it give him much if any movement which seemed to be of concern previously as stated above.

4th They have now stated and have brought up previously that when they attended to assess my father that he was drinking alcohol. This is the latest reason why he won't be recommended for a stair lift. I have informed the team that his alcohol consumption is well below the recommended daily limit.

I know this because he gets his alcohol delivered with his shopping every 2 weeks. This is then diluted with water to be 1/3rd strength and is then further diluted with water when my father pours himself one. So he basically drinks watered-down whiskey 1/4 strength throughout the day. He is never drunk. We have with his permission to put web cameras all over the house and we have never witnessed him drunk, bearing in mind he can't get downstairs to even access more alcohol so he never has enough to get drunk, even if he wanted to.

His carers have stated that there is no change in my father from 8 a.m. first visit to 8 p.m. last visit. They have stated that they have never ever seen him drunk or suffering any effects from over-consumption.

I have to be honest and state that it just feels like we are going around in circles here. The end result is that unless my father has family in to visit he stays in bed 24/7. With the result being bed sores and other issues which result from staying in bed in one room 24/7.

The above does not even take into account that the other thing we asked to be looked at/assessed is the washing facilities. He has a small shower which is unsuitable for his use. He can't stand for long periods to take a shower, so needs some form of seating as well as grab rails. The current shower cubicle is simply too small to incorporate the seat and an adult male, aside from the fact that it would be impossible for his care team to assist him in washing in the shower as it currently stands.

It is too small for his needs. A wet room would achieve this end, but once again I have received zero satisfactory reasons as to why he hasn't been considered for either a wet room or indeed just a bigger shower cubicle. So once again it has been left to his care team to give him bed baths.

We as a family are pretty saddened that his most basic needs seem to be being denied to him. This is an 89 year old man who had a small fall at home which didn't even break a bone but went to the hospital to make sure everything was OK. He was found to have an infection and had to stay in the hospital where he was on a list of patients to be watched. Yet he still managed to get out of bed unnoticed and then bumped into another patient who had done the same, resulting in a broken hip. Then several infections and covid, all in the care of the hospital, only to get out of the hospital to receive little to no help is quite disheartening.

I/we are frankly astonished at the amount of time it took to even visit my father and furthermore to get him any practical help in the form of stair lift/wet room.