"My mum in Grenoside Grange"

I wanted to tell you about the unbelievable care my mum is receiving at Grenoside Grange. Mum was admitted a while ago under Section 2 although this was raised to section 3 with a view to staying at Grenoside Grange until her condition stabilised and residential care could be found for her.

The whole team at Grenoside Grange have been fantastic, consistently so, not  just on the days my partner and I visit my mum but also when we ring for updates. Not once have we made to feel that the call was inconvenient or that they could not take the phone to my mum so we could speak to her. Nor have I felt that they were fobbing me off with what they thought I wanted to hear. Mum had lost the concept of eating and would refuse meals, however, with care and coaxing this has improved. When I ring to ask how her day has been they always tell me if she has refused food that day but that she has had plenty to drink.

When my mum was sectioned she was found in Hull, where she grew up, she was looking for her family. Living in that time and place and worried about her baby the staff gave her a therapy doll. She looked after this as if was a live baby, concerned that she would harm the baby by rolling onto it when asleep. To counteract this the staff found a Moses basket and a pram for her to keep the baby safe.

They have encouraged her to come out of herself, to leave her room and take part in activities. Some of the social skills she had lost are returning.

I live and work in London so am unable to see my mum daily, each time I visit I see improvements in her. This is down to the caring and loving personalities at the Grange, I feel as if they are my extended family. All the staff make what could be stressful, emotionally draining visits into ones that are comfortable. They provide a service that is beyond words.