Jeez, why did I read this thread ... Dad's going into a care home for 3 days tomorrow
If his mind is still alert he should be fine , these horrible people seem to pick on the more vulnerable ones , the ones who get confused .
If one of my close relatives were in this situation I'd call on them everyday at differing times just to kke the staff on toes - so to speak .
I've also heard of affordable portable audio / video recording devices that can be left in the care home bedroom . They can be triggers to record by sound or movement - these would be useful in these cases if only for peace of mind .
Jeez, why did I read this thread ... Dad's going into a care home for 3 days tomorrow
I'm sure he'll be fine. If he needs to go in for longer at any time, choose one with very open visiting hours, and which has a nice atmosphere whenever you turn up. You can quickly tell when residents seem relaxed and when they don't.
I wonder whether this awful story has anything to do with the fact that it was a home for people with dementia and challenging behaviour. The reason is that I have worked in a variety of care homes, including a unit for people with dementia and challenging behaviour. It has never seemed a cruel place, but a little neglected compared with others; the activities are sparse and not very interesting. I get the impression that it is hard to recruit staff ; they have an awful lot of agency staff, mostly Africans with not very good English, and they will admit when asked that it is considered a hard place to work in. They tend to be affectionate - more so than other nationalities; they often kiss and cuddle the residents, which is presumably cultural. But people with dementia and challenging behaviour are not always the easiest to love: they often hit staff, for example. If anything, it is a job that needs better trained and motivated staff than any other, not worse ones.
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If his mind is still alert he should be fine , these horrible people seem to pick on the more vulnerable ones , the ones who get confused .
If one of my close relatives were in this situation I'd call on them everyday at differing times just to kke the staff on toes - so to speak .
I've also heard of affordable portable audio / video recording devices that can be left in the care home bedroom . They can be triggers to record by sound or movement - these would be useful in these cases if only for peace of mind .
I'm sure he'll be fine. If he needs to go in for longer at any time, choose one with very open visiting hours, and which has a nice atmosphere whenever you turn up. You can quickly tell when residents seem relaxed and when they don't.
I wonder whether this awful story has anything to do with the fact that it was a home for people with dementia and challenging behaviour. The reason is that I have worked in a variety of care homes, including a unit for people with dementia and challenging behaviour. It has never seemed a cruel place, but a little neglected compared with others; the activities are sparse and not very interesting. I get the impression that it is hard to recruit staff ; they have an awful lot of agency staff, mostly Africans with not very good English, and they will admit when asked that it is considered a hard place to work in. They tend to be affectionate - more so than other nationalities; they often kiss and cuddle the residents, which is presumably cultural. But people with dementia and challenging behaviour are not always the easiest to love: they often hit staff, for example. If anything, it is a job that needs better trained and motivated staff than any other, not worse ones.