"Grateful for their caring nature, fast action and interventions"

My mum was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2021.  She lives alone.  She immediately went on medication but chose to come off it as she experienced severe weight loss from being on it for 2 months.  Her condition progressed quite rapidly in early 2023 to the extent that we felt she could not be left alone.  We contacted Social Services for an assessment and support, but due to lack of resources and what I feel was poor management of mum's case we didn't get a visit until five months later. During this period my brother and I cared for mum full time as we felt leaving her was a safeguarding issue. 

Our meeting resulted in SS agreeing to three 30-minute visits per day to prepare/heat food for mum to ensure she ate as she would forget to eat and was unable to prepare her own meals. We voiced our concerns that this was insufficient for a woman living on her own.  They did not accept that her needs were high at that time. We spent the next 6 weeks gathering evidence of times mum went wandering, was returned by strangers, left the front door open and/or unlocked.  Her anxiety was high. 

In a follow-up meeting to review the care visits  (which as an aside we also found poor!) the social services social worker based on our evidence could now see that mum required additional support.  They escalated mum's case to the DISS team.  This is when our experience of support completely changed - to the positive.

The DISS team visited the next day, mum was put on amber alert resulting in 2 contacts/visits per week. The representatives from the DISS Team (Faith, Samuel and Rosemary) were amazing!  They listened to us and to mum.  They encouraged her to start the medication again.  They helped get her sleeping tablets to improve her sleep.  They were caring, polite and took her individual needs into account. 

Within a week we had been able to secure live-in care for 4 days/nights per week. My brother and I continue to cover the other nights so that it remains affordable for the Local Authority and mum gets to stay at home. The care agency they use and the carers we have are also brilliant (Jessica and Mel).

Within 2 weeks of the DISS team's first visit my mum was on the medication, the carer was in place and now, a month on, mum's anxiety is significantly reduced as she knows she will not be left on her own and she can stay in her own home. It is a relief for my brother and I as we do not live locally to mum and we know she is well cared for.  

We are so grateful to the DISS team, their caring nature, fast action and interventions.