I know IABU, blatantly using this for traffic. Emergency situation, no ambulance still, and need advice

[TheChinkOfaGlass]

Hi everyone

My Auntie had a fall this morning and has seriously hurt her hip. Luckily she was close enough to the bed to get herself up on it.

999 said it is not an emergency and to contact 111, she was in severe agony and is 78 years old. I rang 111 who after assessing her, decided she did indeed need an ambulance.

I had originally offered to take her to the hospital but she lives on the top floor of a maisonette, and is unable to sit up (so a car journey would be no good and I would be unable to carry her to the car anyway. I did get help but she declined due to the inability to even sit up).

Her husband is disabled so isn't much use (I mean this in the nicest possible way, he is trying his best) other than keeping an eye on her.

So we could be waiting hours for an ambulance but in the meantime she is soaked through on the bed due to urinating on herself. I am going there in the next 30 minutes.

Is it safe to roll her to change the sheets to make her more comfortable? I don't like the idea of her lying in a soaking bed while she waits. I am also scared of causing more pain/damage by moving her. We do not know what's wrong, she thinks it may he her hip. I just don't know what to do. I have never experienced this kind of thing.

Her partner has managed to change her underwear but when the bed is so wet, it wouldn't really make a difference.

Yes unfortunately from bitter experience with my mum. 17 hours on the floor. No lasting long term damage but the blood supply is compromised if your totally immobile. So it's not a case of getting up and that's it. It can take few weeks to recover. That's why getting back up asap is the ideal. No possible with a break. But it's the pressure from not changing positions. My mum.only feel but after 17 hours she couldn't stand up and needed a frame for weeks. No broken bones.

What about Mountain Rescue? Apologies if someone has already mentioned. They are skilled in moving injured patients, I'm sure they would help

www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/teams/brecon-mrt/

So the op is just going to leave her in bed?

Get a rescue effort together and get her to A&E. Absolutely ridiculous to leave her there like this!

Its not the OPs fault FFS

That nurse had probably left nursing because she’s had enough and can earn the same answering phone calls instead.

Op there has to be a way to get her to hospital, transit van, estate car, go to the hospital and borrow a stretcher first if you need to.
I wouldn't be leaving her on the floor any longer, she must be so uncomfortable.

Care home staff nearby were able to help this lady: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/12/20/93-year-old-broken-hip-left-waiting-ambulance-floor-25-hours/?utm_content=telegraph&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2Ag83azyc99qYqAJb4GuUHu5eHCTGSezGdDU3Y5k-Dn0rA5QMPGnjrqJw#Echobox=1671553953-1

I’m so sorry this is happening. It’s disgusting that the government have allowed the country to get into this state. Unfortunately with her being on the third floor a lot of the DIY options for getting her to hospital wouldn’t be safe. If you think her life is in danger I’d look at calling services who may have equipment for moving her safely - mountain rescue, fire service, St John’s Ambulance, funeral homes (they have the stair moving trolleys).

Crikey.

Your poor auntie. This is whole situation is just mind boggling.

Hope you get help for her (and your ma) soon.
It feels so useless to be typing this so I can’t imagine how bad it feels for you to be physically present and still unable to do much to assist.

Please, please get in touch with auntie’s MP and local cllrs and have this terrible situation documented in some sort of official way. Too many officials have their heads in the sand.

@ChristmasRoses that woman was resident in the care home so different.

OP I'm utterly horrified for you and your aunt.

She’s in a bed, I think, not on the floor. And the op’s posts make it clear why it’s going to be nigh on impossible to move her aunt without specialist assessment and care and/or strong pain relief. I don’t think it’s as easy as ‘just get her in a car as drive her to hospital’. She can’t sit up, for a start.

If there’s no ambulance by midnight, they aren’t coming due to the strike OP, and you need an alternative plan.

Dose her up on painkillers (I’m not a medic but I was once told by a nurse that you can take paracetamol, ibuprofen and cocodamol simultaneously - no doubt a medic on here can confirm if I’m right).

Find somebody with a van and somebody with a stretcher (could you ask schools, old people’s homes, cottage hospitals) and reach out to any friends and contacts on social media who have medical training and would be prepared to help.

Really sad and upset for you all, how dreadful.

This is not medical advice, but I agree with what others have said about finding a creative way to get her to A&E

Mountain rescue
Fire department
Ask police to do welfare check- have them come round and see her, they may be able to expedite
Message out on Facebook for any local healthcare professionals to help
Turn up at GP and ask to speak to a doctor/nurse. They have a duty of care so can't ignore you.
Keep trying 111, don't lie but don't be shy of explaining the impact this is having on your aunt and family

You will have a wait in A&E but they can give pain relief while she waits and it is a place of safety in case she were to deteriorate further.

So sorry this is happening to you

Get her out in whatever way the paramedics would get her out minus the pain relief.

Duct tape her to the mattress and get the mattress out of there.

You cannot take paracetamol and cocodamol together

It's unbelievable that this is actually happening. I'm nit saying I disbelieve you OP, it's just...I can't fathom it

Is there a local St John's Ambulance you could call upon?

And wtf are the daily mail when you need them??

Local mountain rescue?

That's why I suggested borrowing a stretcher and using a van or estate car.
Flattened the back seats and slide the stretcher in.

But actually that suggestion of calling an undertaker isn't a bad one.

So this is why some older people never recover from a fracture..
My lovely neighbour {early 90's} was seen within 30 mins {pre covid} after a femur fracture, I thought it would be the last I saw of her, but she made a full recovery.
Sadly she fell a couple of years later, and didn't call for help.
Different outcome. :(

Agreed. But you can take Ibuprofen & Codeine and Cocodamol together

You know it’s a strange day when calling an undertaker to request help for a live person seems like a good option.

But it does actually seem like a reasonable idea in these awful circumstances.

Cocodamol is paracetamol and codeine.

Going slightly off topic but this series of tweets from an ambulance driver/paramedic are horrifying and distressing; check out the tweets by Kristin Houlgate

(tweet KHoulgate)