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Elderly parents
Original poster

Care home neglect?

80 replies

Mxflamingnoravera · 11/03/2023 08:40

My mum has dementia, she lives in a care home. I visit weekly. She's been in her current home since august and was three years in her previous home, she had to leave because she started to wander out and get lost, they couldn't keep her in and so I moved her to a specialist (locked) dementia home.

I visited yesterday and she was complaining about a mark on her shoe. I asked her to give me the shoe so she took it off and handed it to me. It smelled dreadful and I commented that it was a bit whiff and then looked down at her feet. I was horrified to see that her toenails were like claws, she clearly had fungal nail disease and they had not been cared for or cut in months.

Her bill clearly shows chiropodist charges in February and November, but the state of her nails looks to me like they've been untreated for months. I tried to cut the nails myself but it was impossible without causing her pain.

I went down to see the manager and the clinical lead. The clinical lead (a nurse) looked at the pictures I'd taken of mum's feet and said that has not happened overnight, that's months of disease.

They've promised a doctors visit next week and a chiropodist visit, but it suggests to me that this is symptomatic of a deeper neglect. In my situation what would others do? I'm going to write and complain. It's self funded and costs £1470 a week...

OP posts:
Original poster
Mxflamingnoravera · 17/03/2023 13:49

The old care home are insisting on a months notice (£6k). They say it's "contractual" but so is caring for my mum in my view. I believe the contract has broken down.

OP posts:
slamfightbrightlight · 17/03/2023 13:58

Did you make a safeguarding referral OP? I’d be interested to know if the council agreed with the home’s view of the pictures.

Mum5net · 17/03/2023 13:59

I'd post a link to this thread on the legal board @Mxflamingnoravera

Quisquam · 17/03/2023 14:19

It’s a S 42 complaint to Social Services for neglect. Do a subject access request on behalf of your mother, for all her records at the care home. Ask the social worker for the name of the GP, and do a subject access request for your mother’s medical records too.

We have just done the same on behalf of MIL, about neglect by a care home.

Original poster
Mxflamingnoravera · 17/03/2023 16:19

I didn't report via safeguarding, her social worker said to wait to see what response I got.

I'm now at the stage where I may submit a report. It'll have to be on Sunday, I'm flat out now for the next two days.

I've requested a meeting with a solicitor specialising in elderly care issues.

OP posts:
Quisquam · 17/03/2023 16:47

I didn't report via safeguarding, her social worker said to wait to see what response I got.

Ime, you’ll get lies and self justification!

Chippy1234 · 17/03/2023 18:39

I had something similar and ss were very interested as it was a safe guarding issue which was upheld. These care homes are a shocking price. Parent was paying more than this. I have asked for a refund of care home fees. It’s the unmentionable thing isn’t it?

You can raise a complaint and it can be upheld and then what? Lots of empty promises and fibs about who did what and who said what. Those feet clearly haven’t been touched for months.

slamfightbrightlight · 17/03/2023 18:56

An upheld safeguarding enquiry might bring pressure to bear on the provider about the month’s fees, without costing you in solicitor’s fees - just worth thinking about.

Chippy1234 · 17/03/2023 21:07

Yes. I agree. Care homes need to be held to account. My DF didn’t get the care he paid for.

orangetriangle · 17/03/2023 22:02

surprisingly the shiny new all singing all dancing ones can be worse than the older more established ones we found in our experience there is sometimes a lack of care for the person themselves Its ok having a treatment room a cinema wtc but no good if care is lacking

WiIson · 18/03/2023 11:14

It's much more important to see what the staff are like, how they treat people, whether they are too busy to attend to people's needs. This is what is important. Not the building itself.

Original poster
Mxflamingnoravera · 18/03/2023 14:09

Thanks all. I'm going to put in a safeguarding report. I've had the lies and justifications and I've had enough.

OP posts:
WiIson · 18/03/2023 15:10

You absolutely should. For the sake of your mum and others who don't have someone to look out for them. You can either ring adult safeguarding or alert them online.

Original poster
Mxflamingnoravera · 20/03/2023 20:08

I put the safeguarding report in today. I expected an acknowledgment but nothing has come through.

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 21/03/2023 08:38

Email them to confirm they have received it. Don’t phone or you won’t have written proof.

Ttwinkletoes · 21/03/2023 08:47

Who is the chiropodist ?
I would be inclined to contact them and complain about their poor treatment of DM (they probably didn't attend but you are not to know that). Why did they not attend? Were they paid for an attendance they didn't make?

Oblomov23 · 21/03/2023 09:24

Dirs look like neglect, poor you. Indeed they are not checking.

When in Feb did they come. Because her big toes clearly are bad. But the right foot 2nd and 3rd nail growth does indeed look like 'normal growth' as they claimed, for about a month.

HollyFern1110 · 21/03/2023 09:26

Care homes are only as good as their care staff. Through work, I have either visited or worked in most of the local care/nursing homes at one time or another. A good manager is vital but so is a good, experienced & well supported care team beneath her. The newest rooms or best facilities on paper (cinema room, beauty salon etc) mean very little.

It's always worth chatting to staff, asking how long they have worked there, how many agency staff they use etc (the best homes rarely use agency as they have no trouble recruiting & retaining their own staff). I'm not immediately saying all agency staff are bad news, of course they aren't, but they won't be regularly there and won't form the same relationship with or knowledge of the resident which is especially useful for people with dementia.

I would certainly ask more questions about the February chiropodist visit you were charged for (assuming this was February 2023?). Is there is a chance they could have visited your mum, who refused to let them touch her feet? This will still result in a visit charge - but the fact that she wouldn't allow treatment should have been reported back to you.

You have said you're moving her & if your gut instinct tells you the new home is better then you are probably right.

Original poster
Mxflamingnoravera · 21/03/2023 18:46

Any advice on how to move my mums stuff? I nearly killed myself last time and ended up in hospital with a herniated disc and needed surgery. I'm still not allowed to lift anything heavy. Do you think a removal company would do it? It's only a wardrobe contents and a few boxes of bits.

OP posts:
doitwithlove · 21/03/2023 19:08

Either a removal compAny or a man with a van would be able to help

Username721 · 21/03/2023 19:16

That’s absolutely terrible. God love her.

It seems you’ve already made the decision to move her, but how is she within herself? I worked in a care home when I was at university and there are telltale things (that you’re probably already aware of) that indicate level of care.

  1. If she wears glasses, are the lens clean?
  2. Her fingernails - are they dirty?
  3. Is her shampoo/shower gel etc being used? Do you see the volumes going down gradually?
  4. Are the bedsheets clean? Smell ok?
  5. If she has dentures, are they clean?
HollyFern1110 · 21/03/2023 20:14

A local man with a van might be your best option for a small quantity of things.

Quisquam · 21/03/2023 20:27

As I said OP, do a subject access request on behalf of DM - I imagine that the day sheets for your DM should show if she saw the chiropodist, and/or she refused their attentions? Also do a subject access request to the chiropodist to see what their records show?

Hdkatznahtw125sgh · 21/03/2023 20:49

I'm so sad to read this.

I'm a nurse now and worked in care homes as a student, generally the posher they looked the worse they were.

Half the time carers wouldn't do the basics (generally because they were extremely time pressured) but would sign for them. Emollient application and foot care are the first to go.

We never actually had chiropodists in to my memory but remember one patient being under NHS podiatry. I did do lots of nights and weekends though.

My key checks for a care or nursing home would be and for care standards:

  1. How are their teeth, if dentures are they clean?
  2. Are their hearing aids, glasses, walking stick on the person.
  3. Are the toiletries being used.
  4. Does the home have an institutional smell of urine. Regardless of cost the best homes don't have this smell in my experience.

We look after patients from care homes sometimes, some of them are very well cared for.

As a nurse (I genuinely can't remember as a student / hca if I did this/was allowed to) I will cut toenails but only if the patient isn't diabetic or have some other vascular conditions. Bit of vaseline after soaking them, leave for a few mins and they soften right up.

I'm not in England so apologies as it might be slightly different but many of our patients lacked (officially) the capacity to make decisions in their best interest. One patient I have looked after from a care home had horrific and I mean horrific pressure and moisture damage as they had ‘refused’ care interventions. Due to the extent of this patients cognitive impairment this decision was not in the patients best interest and the care home was investigated, fined, services cut and a few nmc registrations investigated.

Your mum is lucky to have you

MereDintofPandiculation · 22/03/2023 09:32

If she’s got fungus in the nails, they will be hard to cut. OP says she couldn’t cut them without hurting her.

My father uses a “nail technician “ (qualified as such, but not a podiatrist) and she uses a sort of grindstone to file them down and reduce their thickness. Maybe the home’s chiropodist didn’t have time for that? More answers needed from the home!

Feet shouldn’t smell, and that’s a cause for concern in itself

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