In watching this panorama documentary to...

[Psycobabble]

Want to punch the faces in of the staff who've been secretly filmed abusing the poor old people in care homes . Bastards. Anyone watching?

I think the scary thing is that you could have an elderly relative being abused in a care home, and yet have no idea, if they are not able to communicate this to you.

I do think the fact that nothing changes, is a sign of how little as a society we care about older people.

It seems like the attitude is more of a "I'll try to make sure I choose the right home and it doesn't happen to my family" rather than a demand and action for better care. It's just swept under the carpet.

Yes that is a good point Ruushii.

So few really care then if it is not their relatives it is happening too.

"How about a special under-cover agency funded by the government, planting professional whistle-blower carers?

Although that would expensive and would require the powers that be to give a shit." (Tried to bold, but not working )

That's a brilliant idea! I'm afraid that covert surveillance seems to be the way forward atm, appalling though that sounds.

And they should give a shit, if only out of self-interest. One day the likelihood is that it's going to be them on the receiving end.

This is a council run care home.

It seems to be the general consensus among the (many) people with whom I've discussed the topic of care/nursing homes, that the council run homes often offer their residents a better level of actual care, than the super-duper, all singing/dancing (till you look behind the closed doors) private ones. Because they are not run for profit, I suppose.

Some people who can't visit their relatives regularly in care homes pay third parties to visit them - ostensibly for companionship but actually to check up on the homes.

Maybe there could be an army of volunteers to do this up and down the country.

I work in care. I look after three tenants who share a home. The care they receive is fantastic and all the staff are natural born careers. I think being a support worker is probably the best care job to work for as our tenants have one to one care 24/7.

After all the horror stories I couldn't bring myself to work in a care home and I hope to god my mum will never end up in one.

What sort of establishment is it, Samu2? Is it for elderly people or younger adults? It sounds like just the kind of place I would want, if my mum ever needed a home.

Also for respite care, it's a pity there aren't registered 'foster carers' for the elderly. I think the impersonal nature of most care homes isn't conducive to the sort of care that elderly people need - which apart from the basics, is to feel wanted and respected.

This has nothing to do with finance or profits.

Irrespective of the pay they receive, carers should not bully and abuse patients.

How disgusting Newton, good on you for speaking out. Te eternal I totally agree, bring back Matron in the homes and hospitals to make sure staff are behaving and caring appropriately. Homes to be run by public services, NHS and government, not private companies who don't hav a clue about care, just exist to make money.

This has nothing to do with finance or profits.

But I think it has everything to do with finance and profit. It shouldn't be that way, but I'm afraid it is.

If there was no profit motive to running a care home, then there would be less inclination to cut corners, put up with under staffing or poor staff, cut the food budget, pay rubbish wages for a very demanding job, etc.

Despite this undervaluing of their job, there are many, many caring carers, but higher wages would encourage more people to apply for the jobs, and allow care homes to be more picky and weed out the bad 'uns. When making a huge profit is the main motivation to running a care home, then quality of care/carers is going to be one of the first things to go.

Gobbolino, if you don't mind me asking, those "carers" who were cruel bullies, how did they behave with the relatives of the residents?

Of course they were smiling and normal!

The place was very posh...as was said in the documentary a few times people said how nice the place looked....staff nice.

The only way you can ever know is to pop in at odd times....and see whats going on, or have a secret camera.

Please remember staff leave there is usually high turnover of staff...it takes one bad one...

In ours it was a family that had a hold on the jobs, I was an outsider.....very weak pathetic manager..It was DIRE. Totally impersonal.

One poor lady was blind, I really had a soft spot for her as she looked very much like my own GM, she would call out all day ( in the livcing area) for a nurse....I was told to just ignore her she does that all day....

Honestly again I went and sat with her, held her hand, spoke to her! It didnt stop the calling but it did calm her down and stop it for a bit!

The residents don't have a chance....as a new person on the round you are told who the awkard ones are! They are written off just like that!

I think the scary thing is that you could have an elderly relative being abused in a care home, and yet have no idea, if they are not able to communicate this to you

This is the scary thing with all people who are vulnerable and cannot communicate!

How many times have we seen on threads where nursery workers have come on and said, the baby or child was pretty much given the basic care all day, and mum comes to get the child and its all smiles and " yes x had a good lunch then we enjoyed a nice story didnt we....he loves his blocks" its BUll shit.

But people come on and shout the whistle blowers down and accuse them of being wicked and evil and why are they working there if they are so nice.

Its the same across the board in all care settings.

Humans are humans we are not angles we are capable of cutting corners, loosing our tempers, our compassion of being cruel...of being selfish!

For some who work in care, it's just a job, they don't care. The organisations obviously do not invest the time and money to vet staff in care homes. I used to work in a day centre for people with learning disabilities, I was on minimum wage, but our staff would never ever treat clients like this. The centre was council run if that Meeks any difference, the interview process was quite thorough, they had some of the clients on the panel to ask us questions.

I remember looking after one woman who had had a stroke and could not move at all except for her eyelids. Her old carers had left her next to a radiator, her arm resting on it. Her skin melted.

Actually horrific.

I'm a nursing home manager. I've just returned from a meeting of local nursing home managers. This kind of thing is deeply disturbing and upsetting. We will all use this as a teaching tool. I will make all my staff watch the documentary, during work time and use it to aid discussions about dignity, safeguarding and most importantly whistleblowing.

I put the full blame of consistent poor care and abuse at the feet of the owners and managers. There will always be poor carers. People who are not suited to this kind of work. People without the patience and compassion needed to look after the most vulnerable people in society. It is therefore up to the employers to ensure the people they do recruit are up to the job by correct training, clinical supervision and monitoring.
I know exactly what every resident I have feels about every member of my staff. I make it my business to know. I sit down with every resident and their families regularly to discuss issues/concerns and look for patterns. For example - a family member might ask me "why does dad always get put to bed so early at the weekend?" I would investigate, possibly coming in at the time in question ensuring that the staff knew CATEGORICALLY that it was the residents choice what time he went to bed not theirs.

All my staff know that I support secret filming too. I even left my PC page open on the amazon site looking at secret cameras the other day, just to let the rumour mill keep on going.

There are many, many great homes too and most carers are good. I know these documentaries are shocking but I believe things like is are still rare.

Sorry to get all socialist but the profit motive has no place in health and social care. Or education for that matter, though that is a slightly different case.

DH has been working for a large chain of carehomes recently and sees where the money goes. These homes are 'luxury' and the fees are in the thousands per month. The buildings are very nice, although they are all built where land is cheap, so often near large roads or undesirable estates. They sell themselves on the food. The budget per resident is 50p a meal. The wages are so low and the hours so difficult that they rarely employ local people but recruit from abroad. I am not anti-immigration, far from it, but I do believe that these are jobs that should pay enough to run a household in this country.
The CEO of this company lives in Scotland but the Head Office is in West London. They take their private jet once a week to meetings. That's where the fees go.

Can we set up our own not-for-profit care home?

I am so profoundly depressed by this issue. I don't intend to get old.

myitchy I wish I could have worked for someone like you. You sound fab

I've worked in Older persons care but within a hospital setting, in medicine and mental health services. I've never worked in a care home or as agency within the community but I've heard stories from clients and from people I know who have worked within those settings.

The staff coming from a care home into the hospital vow never to go back.

I've had discussions with social workers who say they can't say to relatives which are the best care homes because they're not allowed to favour one over another, even when these home have a bad reputation.

I've seen severe neglect by care homes. Pressures sores big enough to fit your fist in.

An ex bf's sister worked in a care home in the evenings to earn some pocket money. She was supposed to be helping out in the kitchens cleaning, peeling potatoes etc. One day we were talking about the home and she said how hard it was to change a clients incontinence pads on your own. Turned out that after doing her kitchen duties, she was told she had to help put the clients to bed and attend to their personal care. Alone! She was taught to put both of the clients legs over one shoulder and take the weight of their lower body to clean them and slide the pad under them. She was 15 years old FFS!

There is such a big issue with the low pay and lack of appreciation care staff face all the time. Poor care is a result of this because the good staff leave eventually for better work. Then the home gets the pick of a bad bunch.

My brother is a chef, he was desperate to get out of a horrible job last year. He applied for a job with an agency and they sent him to an interview for home care. Within 5 minutes, they offered him the job. He had no experience whatsover and no checks were made on him. He turned it down. He said he felt uncomfortable they just asked him his availability even before making sure he was suitable for the job!

I went to an interview a couple of weeks ago MyUsername and they hardly asked any relevant questions. When I was walking out I saw two carers doing a drag lift on a lady. I didn't bother sending the application forms in.

The drag lift has been banned for years. They were probably doing it because the home refuse to pay out for glide sheets. They could dislocated the clients shoulder. It makes me so angry.

My cousin worked for an agency looking after young adults with learning disabilities in the community. The agency owner ordered a new fridge out of the budget but had it delivered to her own home. She had her old one delivered to the clients home.

The staff used to buy tea and coffee for the clients and give them some spending money for day trips out of their own wages because the manager said there was no money available for 'luxuries'

halfwildlingwoman

YEp my bro knows a care home boss, he has several ferraris and ponders which one to change colour on again, always jetting off here there and everywhere. They are loaded, did no one see gerry robinson program., one owner was in a huge 40 room mansion and one was quibling over a night staff memeber having s alice of bread.

yes wages are crap, its a hard job but there is never ever ever ever ever ever ever any excuse for the behaviour that goes on! NEVER!

I hate the drag lift. Bloody laziness.

My cousin worked for an agency looking after young adults with learning disabilities in the community. The agency owner ordered a new fridge out of the budget but had it delivered to her own home. She had her old one delivered to the clients home

[shocked] thats a disgrace

MYSUER Could you tell me which one that was, pm me if neccasary.

I don't know how to PM on my phone Gobblin but its near Cardiff. Where are you?