to have cried my eyes out over the Panorama programme last night

[cuteboots]

I think its cos my mum and step dad are getting on a bit on years and the thought of them being treated like that would be totally heartbreaking! I wailed my eyes out for a good half an hour

Unfortunately as others have said care is not a valued profession, I worked in homes and community and feel it is very much top down thing. The place I enjoyed most was one where I knew the manager would have my back and enforced the protocols properly, so that when an agency staff said we were checking the clients too regularly during the night, I merely pointed out how quickly hypothermia can develop in a frail person and that I was in charge. Believe me I have worked somewhere where I would have got told off for upsetting the agency staff.

When I managed a community team I was for ever getting frustrated at the number of times I had to talk about respect for the clients at the weekly meeting

I've yet to see this (have recorded it) but am dreading seeing it tbh.
Am thinking more and more about going back to elderly care just because I know I treat people as human beings. I just wish I could do so soon but cannot owing to caring responsibilities.
What was seen on this programme (apart from the wilful abuse) was the depersonalisation of a human being. I'll bet nobody showed any understanding or recognition of this lady as an individual. Instead she was seen as another task on their list.

The poor woman was completely objectified by most of the carers. Once that dehumanising step has taken place it is easier to abuse and assault. Very upsetting.

Sunflowers I would try reporting post as that tends to get a quicker response.

Thanks bisjo. Bit of conversation going on in site stuff if you want to have a peek!

There is talk in site stuff about moving this thread to say 'In the news'. What do you think?

Hi all,

Apologies for bouncing you all from pillar to post.
We have moved this thread to In the news now.

Best wishes

MNHQ

It is hard to know where to put a topic such as this.

The issues are so far reaching- undervalued elderly 'cared' for by undervalued 'carers'. It is a horrifying reflection/insight to our societal values.

I deliberately didn't watch this, though I read about it.
My mum is in hospital waiting for a place in a care home.
She can't walk, is incontinent and confused.
I hope stories like this are a tiny minority, I worry so much about her.

Lady that's so hard. My 92yr old grandmother is in a fantastic nursing home and the staff are lovely. They really do treat her as an individual and have really taken the time to get to know her. My Gran had a stroke two years ago and went into the home after that. I knew it was going to be fine when her main carer came in with some food she had bought (out of her own money) to see what textures and lumps my Gran could cope with in order to make sure her diet was adequate for her.
They have held two lovely birthday bashes for her too.

There ARE good places out there.

Oh no!! I missed this last night.

I don't know how I'd do it, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to put my Mum into a care home.

I feel for you LadyBeagleEyes. Do you have a choice of care homes? Are you allowed to visit unannounced [or by appointment] to get a 'feel' of a place?

That was the piece of advice we took when looking for a place for MIL - turn up unannounced to get a feel. To be fair the homes we visited seemed to think that was usual and we did try to avoid mealtimes. Someone always showed us round and if the matron wasn't available they arranged a follow up phone call.

Definitely turn up unnanounced at the care home you are seriously considering selecting for your Mum LadyBeagleEyes - and more than once too. Choose different times of day to drop in just so that you can get a more realistic feel for the place - after all, we're all on our best behaviour and showing ourselves in our best light when we are expecting visitors!
The welcome (or otherwise) that you get will be a sure indicator of what goes on in the place and will help show how the staff cope with the unexpected.
And speaking of value and being valued it is interesting that people complain regarding the cost of care homes which most of us would feel are not cheap.
About 12 months ago, for reasons I won't bore you with, we explored the possibility of my 92 year old FIL going into respite care in a care home for 1 week. We went to see the place and the room which he selected for himself would have cost £650 for the week all in. This sounds like an enormous amount but when you break it down it equates to £3.86p per hour to be kept warm and dry with a roof over your head, your own room, bed, breakfast, lunch and evening meal, heating and lighting and a cup of tea anytime you want one. Plus carers on hand 24/7.
Made me think anyway.
We didn't book it in the end as I felt the place was dark and grim. I was able to negotiate time off from work and we looked after him in his own home

My late MIL ended up with bedsores and MRSA infections through lack of nursing care in a home. My SIL refused to pay the months' fees despite the owners threatening her. They back down when she got MILs consultant involved.

Even when my she got moved to a BUPA home and paid a fortune though there was still only one carer per 20 residents working at the weekend.
Sometimes the look and perception of the place isn't everything. And the understaffing seems to be a feature in most places.

I am a nurse and absolutely love working with the elderly. I have worked agency shifts in numerous nursing homes, unfortunately I was utterly unable to care properly for the people I was looking after on many many occasions.
Being the only nurse in a 30+ bed unit and having to rely on a few teenage care staff who couldnt give a shit to attend to the needs, report concerns and keep safe our elderly charges is bloody awful.

I don't work in care of the elderly anymore, i just cant. I have reported many many staff & care homes due to the lack of care, training, etc

The whole industry needs completely overhauled as its a disgrace.

It is like ground hog day. Awful things are revealed, there is some tutting but all stays much the same. It is like the powers that be simply don't want to do anything worthwhile about the horror of the lives of many of the vulnerable in our society. As you say Fanny- it is a disgrace.

What also infuriates me [and did with Care Commission response in the Winterbourne View Care home abuse cases] is the bureaucratic language, which seems to me to belittle the reality of what has happened. Abuse/ assault is disguised by words such as 'safeguarding issues'.

And again, I say, it's because "the elderly" are held in poor esteem within the culture in the UK. They are seen as a bloody nuisance, slow and grumpy and just a general pain in the rear.
Had the Panorama programme shown a secret footage of a child being abused in an institution there would have been up-roar (albeit for a short space of time).
Because it shows an elderly lady there's not much fuss being made.
While I am in no way suggesting that abusing a child is any less important than abusing an elderly woman - neither should it be seen as being more important.
The scarey thing is folks, we are the future elderly.

I agree with you Wingedharpy. The elderly [and people with learning disabilities] are not for example given enough media attention when wrong doings/ abuse discovered. A quick flurry in the Press that dies down quickly and a few months/ years later anther horror story and bit of hand wringing.

There has to be a massive shift of thinking in our culture. At present let's not pretend that all people are seen as of equal importance and value.

Where are my sarcastic inverted commas- 'the elderly'- sorry. So easy to objectify people/ deindividualise them in language. .
I might as well have said 'the epileptic'.. so easy to label and dehumanise. Sorry I am ashamed.

May sound like I am getting my knickers in a knot but how you refer to people can reflect how you feel and perhaps act towards them.

Oh I need a glass of wine. Sorry all I am muddling myself.

I'm a nurse in a care home. We have 30 residents and I have four care assistants with me. We barely have time to carry out even basic levels of care sometimes This is how it is in every home that I've ever worked in. You are being constantly being pulled out. The relatives that we deal with are very suspicious and, often hostile towards us because of programmes like the Panorama one. They automatically assume that we're up to no good and that we just don't care It's very frustrating.

You cannot provide a decent standard of care with current staffing ratios and pay (minimum wage for care assistants).

hiddenhome I never understand the ratios when you look at how much it costs to provide a place in a care home. The home my nan was in was okay but not great and that charged £450 a week over 20 years ago. The staffing ratios must be all about profit for the care home owner.