"Thanks for being so good with him. He can be a..."

What I liked

I am commenting after an emergency visit with my father in law to A&E. He has dementia and is not always easy to deal with - behaving more like a 3 year old than a 73year old. It is not an attractive condition! He had been admitted by ambulance after collapsing at home.

Ok - like all A&E there was waiting involved but staff were very good with him; having the right combination of assertiveness and kindness. He was respected. He wasn't deemed a 'nuisance'.

There was a guy in the cubicle opposite kicking off because his child was distressed and the situation hadn't been resolved withing the magic 5 hours. He was very vocal. I understand his frustration but I also know (from other NHS experiences) that access to consultants isn't easy out of hours. It was a shame he felt the need to voice his complaints so loudly ... we were in the cubicle opposite and he did have a lot of attention from various staff.

My father in law's own childish behaviour and grumpiness was dealt with with just the right combination of kindness, bossiness and good humour, He was admitted - despite his protestations that he wanted to go home - and his compliance was in no small part due to the skill of the staff involved.

Thanks!