My sister is currently in hospital. I feel like her care is suboptimal. We have been told on several occasions she is at the end stage of life. I understand that she has been unwell, however she has made some improvement. She has lay in a bed for over a week, with no one offering to sit her up in a chair, despite my daughter asking for a comfortable chair to be brought into the room.
We have been told that the only care now is TLC, all medications stopped, she apparently can't swallow or eat. She has been eating full meals and when her medication was being administered it was left on the table at the side, so her son gave her it. We asked for her to be started on a food chart - it was never done. She eats a soft diet, a CSW came in with a sandwich and a banana (she has a high potassium level) the recommendation would be to avoid food with with a high potassium content.
We have put on her 'What matters to me' that family wish to be called if she is distressed during the night , the mobile number is also there, staff have documented that she has asked for family during the night - no phone call made.
The final straw was tonight. My sister has periods of feeling cold and hot, in her own words like fire. She has a ward fan in her room. A CSW took it upon themselves to remove the fan telling her son she does not need it because she has a blanket on. Now firstly she is a women in her 80's do you want her to sit with no dignity, she has no pants on - has a catheter in - a nightdress at her waist. is she really meant to sit there with no cover because she has a fan? Secondly the fan was left lying outside her room on the corridor floor. My daughter popped in to see her after her shift - and the first thing she said was I am feeling hot my daughter returned the fan to her bedside. The same CSW then loudly informed the staff nurse, I took that fan away from her she has a big blanket on. She has a sheet and a blue cover on. I am appalled at the overall treatment of someone who is meant to be getting TLC; its far far from it.
I will highlight that not all staff are unfriendly, but a lot of the staff we have come into contact with appear to have lost their compassion when caring for the elderly.
"sub optimal care"
About: University Hospital Wishaw / Care of the Elderly (Wards 9-12) University Hospital Wishaw Care of the Elderly (Wards 9-12) ML2 0DP
Posted by younger sister (as ),
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