To not want my mum called a doubler?

[DollyPartonsBeard]

Popped into care home this morning on my way to work to drop off a new sunhat for my mum. She's 89 and has been in residential care for nearly two years as she has dementia. She's also had several strokes and her mobility and balance are impaired and she needs two people to help her use the loo and bath and get dressed etc.

Usually visit later in the day but went in early as I noticed last night her straw hat is falling apart so took one of mine in so she can sit out for a bit today.

Arrived about 8.30 and mum was up and in front of breakfast tv. She's never been an early riser and has her radio alarm to come on to R4 in the morning and then a gentle start to the day or so I thought. We discussed these things when she moved in (the dementia has deteriorated since then but she can still express her needs) and I like the fact this home seemed to tailor care to individual's existing routines and likes.

Told a staff member I was surprised to see mum up so early and they said it was new rules and the manager said all the doublers had to be up before the night staff went off duty. When I asked what a doubler was she said it's people who need two staff to assist them. I reminded her that my mum is Mrs Ginger/ 'Mary' not a doubler.

AIBU to hope my poor old mum doesn't deserve to be described by a term which refers to her limitations, rather than by her name??

Jesus Seesawride my whole point was that the term was not used between professionals, it was used to the OP!

A care home inspector

homes are not allowed to organise care around the needs and convenience of the staff /staffing levels and shift patterns no matter how difficult it may be regarding recruitment low pay

And there you have it a well paid manager flirting in telling homes the bloody obvious while completejy ignoring the practicalities of their particular situation.

Sack a few more of you managers and employ more front line staff. The nhs as a whole would thrive.

Jessie

Yes and it shouldnt have been I totally agree with you my issue is the term in itself isn’t dehumanising if used between professionals.

I think we sgree and the heat made me tetchy.

Referring to your Mother as 'a doubler' indicates to me that the culture of the home is in question and needs to be seriously reviewed. This won't be just happening to your Mum and often it will be those residents who have no representation or voice who this will be happening to

Yes, this sort of sums up my worries. That it's a cultural thing in the home. I'm not so naive as to think things may be different when relatives aren't around, but also I'm sure most people would hope that their relatives would be treated respectfully regardless of who's in earshot. My mother and several other residents were at the other end of the same room when the carer used the term 'doubler'. I can't say for certain how much they heard or understood but I found it distressing.

I've got several friends and relatives who were/ are nursing staff, qualified and otherwise, and I work in public services myself, so I understand how much pressure is on resources and people. On the whole we're happy with my mother's care and would not wish to move her because crucially she seems comfortable.

They didn't use the term instead of her name. They used it to explain why some of the residents (and not others) have to be got up early.

^^ This.

Profits insdilt care are pretty slim as with nursery provision.

People need to pay more tax. Tax needs to be target spent on social care and nursery provision. It isn’t

Truce Seesawride

I would object too as you say 'doubler' reduces her to her condition, it is dehumanising and disrespectful.

Also saying 'all the 'doublers' have to be up ....' is classing her in a group of people who need two staff members, it ignores thier individual needs, they may all have very different needs which their routine should respect.

It is hardly being demanding to ask that your DM be referred to by her name when they are speaking about her. 'Mary needs two carers to help her get up in the morning' is not exactly taxing to say.

^

This

If you are generally happy with her care and this is one tiny incident I think you would be mad to move her even supposing you could.

Are you sure you havnt other concerns before this that were just a hunch.

Jessie totally

I would have serious concerns, this is institutional abuse. Both calling her a doubler and getting her up early in the morning especially when it had been discussed that she likes to take her time in the morning and doesn't like to get up early. I would be raising it with the management of the home. It is equally concerning that staff are openly telling you that it's the rules.

A care home where I worked was criticised by CQC because the inspector overheard one of the care staff referring to a group of residents using the term ‘the softs’ - meaning people who were on a soft diet.

Absolutely. A care home near me closed recently after being torn apart by the CSSIW - one of the criticisms (by no means the worst, granted) was use of labels to lump people into categories. To me it indicates that they are not personalising care for the individual, but just according to certain characteristics. Not only that, but if you can see things like this going on in front of residents and their families, what happens when the families aren't there?

^The report also highlighted a lack of respect towards the residents by some members of staff.

It said: “Care workers did not always treat people with respect. For example, we overheard one care worker who referred to people as the, ‘normals,’ the ‘softs’ and ‘the diabetics’ at one mealtime we observed. This shows that not only are people treated with disrespect, but are also at risk of malnutrition because they do not receive the identified support to maintain a healthy diet of their choice.”^

If everyone who needs two carers to get up in the moring where I work, the whole building would be up before 8. Thats a redicilous reason to get up.
Talk to the manager, this early rising is not acceptable for all residents. The only people up when I go to work at 8 (Dementia care nursing home) are ones who are early risers who get themselves up (sort of), or ones who have woken early and not settled back to sleep so are up as thats what they want.

Even when paying top dollar, most care homes are dehumanising places to spend your final months/years.
Not the staffs fault.

My mother and several other residents were at the other end of the same room when the carer used the term 'doubler'

I mean this gently but this is the mass denial about care homes in action. This won't be the first time your mum or other residents has heard the term "doubler". It's just the first time you heard it.

I think what you do going forward depends how you feel about them using words like that around residents.

Struggling it was still used as a descriptive term when a more respectful one would have been more appropriate.

Compare: “We had to get your mother up early because all the doublers need to be dealt with before the night shift go off”

To
“We had to get your mother up early because she needs two carers to assist her and we wouldn’t have had enough staff if we had waited till after the end of the night shift”.

It’s all about tone.

Does she still need to wake up like that though or have her needs changed?

When my Grandmother was in the late stages of dementia she went from being a slow “lazy” wake up type of person to an up at the break of dawn person!

I would certainly talk about the new policy with them and make sure it is in the best interest of your mother and if not see if it can be worked around at all (even if she is the last one of the group they get up to give her a bit longer)

I can’t see an issue with the terminology though as it is simply the way of grouping based on that need. And sadly due to the fact that most care homes are operating on such tight budgets their may be no way around it but worth raising your concerns

Although the dehumanising language isn’t great, safety is paramount so I don’t think what they’re doing is wrong at all.

Also, having dementia and being in a home is a very institutionalised life (I have direct experience with my grandmother) and I wouldn’t expect a lie in with Radio 4 to be practical for the staff when there are routines to be carried for all residents. Also, horrible as it may sound, does she even have a sense of time anymore? I know for my grandmother, sadly she has no clue what day/month/year it is, ditto what time she gets up of a morning.

I used to be a night carer and we frequently were expected to get many residents up for the day. I used to hate having to do that, but the truth was that the home was often understaffed. I don't think you are being unreasonable to be annoyed by it, but equally, would you have been pissed off if she was still in bed into the afternoon? In my experience, the day staff would have a certain amount of time where they could wash and dress residents before breakfast was served and if residents weren't up by that point, they would have to wait. I don't know really.

And we did refer to those who needed more than one carer as 'doubles'. And residents that only required minimal help were singles. There are only so many staff, and there were over 60 residents at the home I worked in. Supervisors would allocate two carers for the 'doubles' while others would help the 'singles'. But we all called them by their names. Sometimes needs changed and it would be 'Bob is a double now', and 'new resident Shiela is a single' it refers to the amount of carers needed to meet their needs, not the individual.

So in short, I understand where you are coming from, but if she was washed and dressed, surely that's a good thing?

I don't think yabu to be hurt by this term the carer disregarded the residents in earshot feeling of course a care home needs to run properly but the carer could and should have worded it better to you a doubler just dehumanises the residents who need extra care

Sirzy

Good point my mum used to sleep well and long but is now often wandering around at night or up with the lark. In between she sleeps, During the day too very deeply.

It’s a bastard of a disease

It’s a bastard of a disease

It is it’s horrible watching someone slip into an empty shell

terrible term
the home husband worked at people who needed extra help were cared for first early was 7am.had to get everyone cleaned,teeth brushed,dressed medicated and comfortable.so breakfast could be served.it just depnded on which end of the corrador you lived.he spent most time in the harbor units(dementia/alzhiemers) his thing was teaching young careers how to deal with them.the timewarp things.like not letting a ww2 vet watch war movies on a huge tv.they would get upset thinking it was a window.
one lady wouldnt let any one brush her teeth.she would cry "glue" and get so upset.i pointed out that when she was young they had either baking soda or tooth powder and toothpaste was gluey.so he tried using bakingsda in his hand and dipping the brush in it,she has very nice clean teeth now.and brushes them herself.he also brought on music from the era they were young.so many happy faces,tapping feet and even a few dancing.

I also think people are in total denial of how much more money is needed for social care and the nhs in general and get shirty when faced with the reality of things as they now are.