Mother sectioned

[JulesIM]

I’m a heartbroken daughter, please help

My frail 84 year old mother with advanced dementia was in our opinion illegally sectioned from a care home this week. We are currently engaging with healthcare barristers on this. She wasn’t given family representation, consultation was not given with her gp or her social worker or her carer of four years.

Does anyone else have a loved one who has been sectioned from a care home, simply because they can’t cope with them?

Thank you

Jules

Sent from my iPhone

It's a very emotional time but do you want to share details of why she was sectioned, you said they thought she was a danger to herself or others and now the hospital say cables are a danger, is she at risk of harming herself. Taking cables, shoelaces, belts away is a precaution, she could have a portable radio. What is a barrister going to do if the 2 doctors felt she was at high risk and needed a mh assessment and that a mh ward is the right place for her at the moment. What sort of abuse have you witnessed there,

2 doctors and a mental health practitioner have to sign off someone being sectioned. I mean this kindly OP, as I can imagine your world is upside down, but your mum obviously needs help and the care home were unable to meet her needs.

You need to urgently find somewhere that will take her. A nursing home or the likes. The social worker is correct, it's out of her hands.

I don't think branding the care home and mental health unit staff as lazy and abusive is helping. I know you're angry OP, but these people save lives.

@5FeetToBeExact exactly they are looking after people with extremely challenging behaviour. I've worked as a nurse with patients with dementia and I experienced the highest level of violence and challenging behaviour out of my whole career which included forensic units.

I know you are upset but you are labelling health professionals as abusive and sectioning someone is done as a last resort and in the best interest of your mum. Legal aid wouldn't touch this case.

Your mum is being looked after and is safe, they will be fully aware of her hip and her needs. Clearly she was a danger to herself or others so items will have to be removed.

You are focussing on the entirely wrong issue her, your focus should not be legal challenges and labelling staff as abusive. You should engage with her care team and help as this will help your poor mum.

The social worker is awful and said there's nothing she can now it's in the hands of the mental health team x

I know this is very stressful but you will really need to engage with the MH team as a matter of urgency. The priority now is a full up to date assessment of mums needs and to find a place that can meet those needs.
Even if you do get her discharged today where will you take her?

OP if you apply for a discharge, you'll be taking her home. Is that what you really want?

You're coming from emotion. You need to take a breath and really think about what you're doing. She's on a section 2, she'll not be there long. She's in a safe space while they figure it out.

Do you know how hard it is to get someone sectioned? This hasn't been done lightly.

I'm hoping you've had chance to read of the posts.

I also think that you're coming from a place of emotion and possibly stress.

There must have been signs though that the home that she was in hadn't been coping.

As several people have said, if you are successful with your challenge exactly where woukd she go? I'm assuming not to your home?

If you call around the local specialist Dementia Care Homes I can't imagine that they're going to offer a place knowing that she's been sectioned. I don't event believe that another move so soon would be in DMs best interests.

If you could tell us more about the abuse that you've witnessed though, that woukd be helpful

Relatives and barristers cannot just take someone home or arrange a new care home. The whole point of a section 2 is to assess someone's mental illness and plan treatment.

The CQC are as useless as a chocolate teapot.

How have you got in with trying to get the section overturned @JulesIM?