My mum is 85 and has lived independently with dementia at Hemsworth Court for nearly 5 years. As a family we were delighted with the new facility in our area which would cater for mums needs on a 24hr basis but still allow family to play an active toll in mums every day life .
Unfortunately Covid 19 had other ideas, around mid March the facility went into voluntary lockdown which we fully supported the manager called by telephone explained it was to insure the safety of all residents. By the end of March government lockdown officially began and mum received a letter stated it would start at the end of July. This date was eagerly awaited on by myself and family And of course mum who with the help of the wonderful staff had been well looked after and more importantly kept virus free . This is where things got complicated, according to manager the facility is still under trust lockdown as higher authority hasn’t been given, measures that he can put in place haven’t been agreed and his hands are tied ! So affectively my 85 year old mum has been under lock down for 6 months with no sign of let up , we are fortunate mums apartment is on ground level we have patio access now , but 6 months family haven’t been able to clean floors , toilets, change beds , wash floors dust !! I’m sure you’re getting the picture, Independent living only works with families who can provide the care , staff are not domestic workers . I want decisions made ASAP my mothers physical and mental health are at a low , we are losing our precious time with her not to dementia but to a system that hasn’t developed the criteria to implement policies and agendas for a facility that’s not a care home !
Feeling frustrated as my mum just wants out for a breath of fresh air ...
"Independent living with dementia serviced by the trust owned by housing provider"
About: Belfast Health & Social Care Trust Belfast Health & Social Care Trust Belfast BT8 8BH
Posted by Dementia 85 (as ),
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