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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 09 December 2009 13:09
Posts: 7,
Visits: 13
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Many thanks for the opportunity to comment on this subject.
While I agree that the government should be promoting much more, the needs of older people, the Dignity in Care campaign is the tip of the ice-berg and I have to say, cynically, I am afraid, more a political move, rather than a real attempt at making a difference. I feel that many of the problems lie in private care homes and home care agencies as well as hospitals.
My career, has spanned 36 years, starting as a pre nursing student at 16, a nurse in hospital and the community, a care manager for a charity and a hospice at home service and more recently as a freelance trainer and care consultant to nursing and residential care homes and home care agencies.
I moved into training of care staff and nurses as I thought this may be the best way to address the issues of poor care and bad practice and in many cases abuse that I have encountered during my both my career and unfortunately the experiences I witnessed with close relatives on at least three occasions.
I have recently developed and begun to deliver a day course, which is very experiential, to demonstrate what is is actually like to be on the receiving end of care. I also encourage and provide ongoing support for one or two members of staff in each training group to become 'Dignity Champions' for their home.
Staff, mainly I have found, have good intentions, but due to lack of motivation, lack of equipment, support and adequate training from the owners of the establishments, are not able or allowed to provide the quality of care we would like to receive ourselves.
Care Managers are often under great pressure from the owners of these establishments to keep costs down, profit being the main incentive. This greed is applied also to recruitment of 'cheap' unsuitable staff, inadequate training which barely meets National Minimum Standards, let alone motivates and supports staff and several other cost cutting methods, too numerous to go into now, but I can supply more than enough details if required.
For example I have trained for an organisation which owns around 750 carer nursing homes in the UK. I asked when carrying out a training exercise with care staff, while they were experiencing helping each other eat a meal and being fed, if they were provided with table napkins for residents. I was given a pack of blue plastic 'bibs', and told that this was the only method they were provided with to protect peoples clothes when eating and drinking. This was the case in all the homes in the organisation. Some 'bibs' were prettier, but they were still 'bibs.'
When I asked how would they feel if they went to a restaurant and the waiter put a bib on them, they all agreed it was not acceptable and had asked managers for linen table napkins but were told they were 'too expensive.'
Residents pay between £800-£1,000 per week to stay in these homes!
The answer is simple really, if you would not like to be treated like this, why should you treat others in this way?
This is just one of examples too numerous to mention - I often despair, but I keep going in the hope that in some small way, I may make a difference.
I believe my training should be mandatory for all who work in the care field. I charge only enough to keep going and cover my costs, but often the owners and managers say they will not even release their staff for training as it is a luxury and not a necessity, required by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). Thus the staff are not even valued enough or treated with dignity, so how can we expect them to pass this on to the vulnerable people they look after?
Training should be mandatory and subsidised by the government to encourage private homes to take it up.
Regards
Tillie
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 27 May 2010 14:26
Posts: 117,
Visits: 253
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| Tillie, I have just read your post of 3rd December 2008, and cannot believe that 178 people have read it and no one has made a comment. We seem oblivious to the fact that we are all going to get old one day, I am on my way now. I am in sheer disbelief that not one person has decided to comment. We can fill pages about so called celebrities but not show concern for an issue like this. You are 100% correct about the greed of care home owners, they are leeches, usually very well spoken leeches. They ask your opinions about your parents, or in my case Mother in Law, with not the slightest concern really about your replies. I have seen people I love go down hill fast in these places for lack of one thing. Stimulation. I mean stimulation of the mind when I say this. I have seen new "inmates", because they basically are "inmates", with lively minds go into a vegatative state in double quick time. They dont have enough staff, and all the certificates on the wall, in the world, dont fool sensible people. Greed, greed and more greed, and the older generation will suffer. Remember we will all be under that category one day. Older generation. All power to your elbow Tillie, I am only sorry it has taken 8 months for someone on this forum to reply. It has made me wonder what I am doing here actually. Paul.
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 14 December 2009 10:44
Posts: 9,
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It is awful to think something like this can be put to one side, out of the way for no one to think about. Care home owners should be a lot more "caring"! It is not fair to reduce other people's lives to nothing when all they need is a little stimulation. The care home owners need motivation to do this, and I would've thought the state they are causing clients to go into would be motivation enough. Something definately needs to be done.
Care Home North Wales
Gerard
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 20 February 2010 14:07
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| Hi, Tillie, having read through your post I feel that I must comment! One of the major problems is that care staff do not have sufficient knowledge when dealing with service users who suffer from Dementia, this lack of knowledge does not give care staff the confidence and therefore leads to issues and problems with care. However, there is training available, I provide it! The lack of training is very well documented and care providers are aware it is an issue, not just in dementia. More care is being pushed out into the community and care staff are being asked to deal with more complex issues, which with "basic" training and knowledge will go along way to improving the care for service users who are either self funding or government funded. My company offers training on a large number of specialist subjects, i am not plugging my company but only making people aware that if the care providers do not feel they need the extra training, which is what i offer, not the mandatory training/ minimum standard training, they will generally opt out of this training. For example, I have only just completed a mailshot last week to over 8000 nursing and residential care homes throughout the UK informing them of the Dementia Training which my company will be providing in 2010. This training is taught by Dementia Care Specialists, has been viewed and recommendations have been made to improve the training by the Alzheimers Society (Cathy Baldwin, Dementia Training Manager, Alzheimer's Society) and is also affordable £35 per person! I have had 3 enquiries out of 8000+ Nursing and Residential Homes who are interested in this education. What more can I do???? I work with the largest care providers in the UK and I just feel it is an uphill battle, some homes and care groups are excellent and recognise the issues and need for specialist training but for the vast majority aslong as minimum standards are met, it is sufficient. Until the likes of Dementia, Pressure Ulcer Prevention, Care Planning and Medication Administration training are included in the mandatory/ minimum standards, not a great deal will change! Thanks for reading! Chris Aitken, MD, GNCS
Chris Aitken
Managing Director
GNCS Ltd
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