Pensioner starved to death

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Comments

  • SillyBillyGoatSillyBillyGoat Posts: 22,266
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    How horrible. :(
  • Bulletguy1Bulletguy1 Posts: 18,429
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    Forget the immigrant paranoia. That's fodder for the lemmings.

    More serious and obvious questions need asking. For example, did this woman have access to a telephone? If not, why not? In this age we live in where people 'keep themselves to themselves', for people living alone a telephone is an essential link in case of an emergency. It's not a luxury....it's a necessity.

    Unfortunately this lady did not appear to have any friends, a nosy neighbour (always more use than what people think), or any relatives.
  • Aarghawasp!Aarghawasp! Posts: 6,205
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    paralax wrote: »
    This is the real scandal in this country, it is a frightening place to live if you are elderly and have no family who can be bothered to make sure you are looked after. I work in elderly care and this sickens me, and brought me to tears.

    Cameron is doing his Blair impression, globe trotting, making a name for himself now because he has eyes on an international career once he leaves office, he is so very generous with our money overseas and we have elderly people neglegcted both in hospital and the community because local authorities and central government will not fund care to an acceptable level. We can dish out money overseas, support children who don't even live in this country, support god knows how many feckless young people while our elderly are abused.

    Never mind boasting about how generous we are to international aid, or how proud we are of the tens of millions we spent on the Olympics, it is in everyone's interest to be outraged and demand better care for the elderly, because it can only get worse. The local authority must have screwed up because presumably others on the care agency list got their care, and shame on the family of this poor lady.

    Agreed. It's just heartbreaking to think of someone's life ending in such a way.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 32,379
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    hyena wrote: »
    She had carers calling on her four times a day.

    This is a 24 carat cock up by whomever took control of the firm's responsibilities.

    The council were informed that the agency was being raided. It's they that fcuked up and has nothing to do with what government are in power.

    I take it all the other people that were being cared for by this agency were cared for by the council?

    Update from the previous link.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21340238
  • tonypennystonypennys Posts: 6,069
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    Absolute disgrace but doesn't surprise me

    i am a carer and i knew something like this would happen

    i used to care for a blind man whowas 82 had no relatives and the only people he ever saw was me and somebody from the bbc ( his former employer )

    he had a bad fall and was in hospital for a few months , i found him on the floor and called an ambulance and he went to hospital , i went to visit him and he said could i get him some pj,s toiletries, money etc as he had nothng , i rang my care company who said i was not allowed on his premises it would have to be social services so i contacted them and they said ok they will come down , a week went by nobody turned up, the blind man was getting distressed as he needed these thngs , so i called again , same answer , another week went by , so the blind man got me to write a letter that he signed insisting it was their duty of care and if nothing was done he would contact his friends in the bbc

    they arrived the next day and told him they would do it but only if he came so an ambulance had to take him with social services for his things , he collected his things and asked them could they possibly check his fridge as he has food which will have gone off , the reply was " we haven't got time for that , i dont get paid for this " i was furious and went in to complain and i got nowhere , i called my care company who said there will be nothing you can do just do your job

    when he was better he came out of hospital and to my surprise we had lost the care , the blind man spoke with social services who said to him the care company said they couldn't do the call any more ? what a load of rubbish , he insisted we take the care back and we got it back , so nothing surprises me anymore with the way people are being treated with all the cut backs
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,801
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    woodbush wrote: »
    The council were informed that the agency was being raided. It's they that fcuked up and has nothing to do with what government are in power.

    I take it all the other people that were being cared for by this agency were cared for by the council?

    Update from the previous link.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21340238

    Did I say it had anything to do with the government?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 32,379
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    hyena wrote: »
    Did I say it had anything to do with the government?

    No you didn't. I don't know how to multi quote. I'm sorry I made the point on your post.
  • OhWhenTheSaintsOhWhenTheSaints Posts: 12,531
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    This actually made me feel a little sick.
  • Flat MattFlat Matt Posts: 7,023
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    tonypennys wrote: »
    Absolute disgrace but doesn't surprise me

    i am a carer and i knew something like this would happen

    i used to care for a blind man whowas 82 had no relatives and the only people he ever saw was me and somebody from the bbc ( his former employer )

    he had a bad fall and was in hospital for a few months , i found him on the floor and called an ambulance and he went to hospital , i went to visit him and he said could i get him some pj,s toiletries, money etc as he had nothng , i rang my care company who said i was not allowed on his premises it would have to be social services so i contacted them and they said ok they will come down , a week went by nobody turned up, the blind man was getting distressed as he needed these thngs , so i called again , same answer , another week went by , so the blind man got me to write a letter that he signed insisting it was their duty of care and if nothing was done he would contact his friends in the bbc

    they arrived the next day and told him they would do it but only if he came so an ambulance had to take him with social services for his things , he collected his things and asked them could they possibly check his fridge as he has food which will have gone off , the reply was " we haven't got time for that , i dont get paid for this " i was furious and went in to complain and i got nowhere , i called my care company who said there will be nothing you can do just do your job

    when he was better he came out of hospital and to my surprise we had lost the care , the blind man spoke with social services who said to him the care company said they couldn't do the call any more ? what a load of rubbish , he insisted we take the care back and we got it back , so nothing surprises me anymore with the way people are being treated with all the cut backs

    This is absolutely typical of the idiotic and bureaucratic country that we live in today.

    I wouldn't have even mentioned this to my employers and just gone to his home and collected the things for him.

    I'm really not looking forward to becoming old. God knows what kind of state this country will be in by then.
  • tim59tim59 Posts: 47,188
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    They need to find the PERSON responsible for this happening and be charged with neglect, as any other person would be if this happened to a child or old person in there care. To many departments or companys get away with this because there in never one person who is held accountable.
  • Flat MattFlat Matt Posts: 7,023
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    tim59 wrote: »
    They need to find the PERSON responsible for this happening and be charged with neglect, as any other person would be if this happened to a child or old person in there care. To many departments or companys get away with this because there in never one person who is held accountable.

    You can't charge someone with neglect if this was a genuine mistake, which is by far the most likely scenario. Something obviously went wrong when the local authority took over the work of the care agency.

    As terrible as this is, no one did this to the elderly lady intentionally.
  • Olls~Olls~ Posts: 3,587
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    hyena wrote: »
    Well yes and my point wasn't directed at you. Sorry if you took it that way.

    You'd be surprised just how many people there are of all ages who have nobody. It's more common with old people because the people that they did know may have all died.

    How that poor old lady must have suffered. Waiting day and night for someone to come and help her.

    :( Poor lady.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 732
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    katywil wrote: »
    this "care" agency was closed down by police for employing illegals. thats nothing to do with this government or any other government.[/QUO

    What i did say was carehomes are being closed all over the country because of government cuts, forcing people to stay in their own homes were they are neglected.
    only last week it was reported that someone had laid dead in their flat for two years before being discovered.
  • horwichallstarshorwichallstars Posts: 16,514
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    It's a sign of how quickly things can go wrong. It seems from reading the articles that the lady was employing the care agency directly, so many not have been known to Social Services. If when the raid happeed, to books were passed onto Social Services, then they would have acted upon the information within them to ensure continuity of care, as Social Services are seen as the Safety Net. Looking at it, the other people effected by the withdrawal of services, have recieved alternative services, so there's not a "system" failure. It could be that the records passed to Social Services were incorrect, or incomplete - we won't know until the investigation.

    What this does show is that it's important that we keep the Safety Net - current government policy is to move Social Care provison onto a "personal budget" model. This means that Services Users will be assesed and given a pot of money, they will then arrange thier own care with the agencies - really taking social services (the local council) out of the equation. So say if they employed a "sole trader" to take care of them, what would happen if that person was in an accident, or fell ill, or anything else? Where does the assurance and control come into it? It is very worrying.
  • katywilkatywil Posts: 1,245
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    gerr60 wrote: »
    katywil wrote: »
    this "care" agency was closed down by police for employing illegals. thats nothing to do with this government or any other government.[/QUO

    What i did say was carehomes are being closed all over the country because of government cuts, forcing people to stay in their own homes were they are neglected.
    only last week it was reported that someone had laid dead in their flat for two years before being discovered.

    its councils who close care homes not the government. . when councils have to economise they should be getting rid of overpaid managers etc. they should stop planting flowers on roundabouts. stop planting new road signs everywhere. instead of that they close care homes for the biggest shock impact so they can blame the government cuts.no care homes have closed where i live. because we have a half decent council. a conservative council
  • CMCM Posts: 33,235
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    This actually made me feel a little sick.

    Don't go to hospital then :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 732
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    katywil wrote: »
    gerr60 wrote: »

    its councils who close care homes not the government. . when councils have to economise they should be getting rid of overpaid managers etc. they should stop planting flowers on roundabouts. stop planting new road signs everywhere. instead of that they close care homes for the biggest shock impact so they can blame the government cuts.no care homes have closed where i live. because we have a half decent council. a conservative council

    And your council will soon be fixing its budget and cutting millions, care will be first in line, you read it here first.
  • tonypennystonypennys Posts: 6,069
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    gerr60 wrote: »
    katywil wrote: »

    And your council will soon be fixing its budget and cutting millions, care will be first in line, you read it here first.

    it is the council where i work is sending the social workers to cut care , Very worring times for clients and carers alike
  • TagletTaglet Posts: 20,286
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    katywil wrote: »

    its councils who close care homes not the government. . when councils have to economise they should be getting rid of overpaid managers etc. they should stop planting flowers on roundabouts. stop planting new road signs everywhere. instead of that they close care homes for the biggest shock impact so they can blame the government cuts.no care homes have closed where i live. because we have a half decent council. a conservative council

    Who do you think is imposing the cuts on the councils? It has no connection with roundabouts and road signs as each dept has their own cuts to make and those cuts are specified by the government.

    Oh and for the record 'overpaid' managers have gone, either made redundant or taken voluntary severance.
  • FilliAFilliA Posts: 864
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    tonypennys wrote: »
    Absolute disgrace but doesn't surprise me

    i am a carer and i knew something like this would happen

    i used to care for a blind man whowas 82 had no relatives and the only people he ever saw was me and somebody from the bbc ( his former employer )

    he had a bad fall and was in hospital for a few months , i found him on the floor and called an ambulance and he went to hospital , i went to visit him and he said could i get him some pj,s toiletries, money etc as he had nothng , i rang my care company who said i was not allowed on his premises it would have to be social services so i contacted them and they said ok they will come down , a week went by nobody turned up, the blind man was getting distressed as he needed these thngs , so i called again , same answer , another week went by , so the blind man got me to write a letter that he signed insisting it was their duty of care and if nothing was done he would contact his friends in the bbc



    when he was better he came out of hospital and to my surprise we had lost the care , the blind man spoke with social services who said to him the care company said they couldn't do the call any more ? what a load of rubbish , he insisted we take the care back and we got it back , so nothing surprises me anymore with the way people are being treated with all the cut backs

    Why not use your common sense and just collect his keys and fetch his stuff in your own time? If its obvious you are dealing with idiots why involve them?

    I agree with the poster who asked if this poor woman had access to a phone, she should also have had a community alarm. It is sad that she seems to have been invisible to her neighbours.
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