Water tower

I was stuck for a blip so shot this from the car on the way to visiting hubby's Auntie in hospital.

Would you believe it? Auntie (96) went into hospital about 3 weeks ago, following a fall. She had fallen at the care home where she lives whilst taking herself up the corridor to the loo using her zimmer frame. Prior to the fall, she could walk to the dining room with assistance (about 50 yards) and was able to do most things eg feed herself, get in and out of chairs etc.

She was sent back to the home after about a week because she was deemed medically fit, and indeed she was managing fairly well, being able to sit in her chair and eat and drink by herself as usual. The only thing she couldn't do as before was walk.

A couple of days later she was again admitted to hospital (a different one this time) with a severe infection which became an infection in her blood. She was clearly unwell at this point.

A week later, the ward rang the care home saying Auntie was medically fit and that they were discharging her, and that she is bedridden. The care home is not registered as a "Nursing" home (they don't have 24-hour nursing cover) so nursing staff they do have there visited the hospital to do their own assessment of Auntie. Unfortunately she is now unable to feed herself nor sit up unaided or stand. We visit nearly every day, and she is not usually even aware that we are there.

It beggars belief that the hospital ward Auntie is now on, did not know anything about what her condition was prior to admission - able to walk with assistance, feed herself, sit in a chair etc, but were prepared to send her home stating she is "bedridden" without asking themselves whether she was going home to appropriate and safe care (a Nursing home rather than a Care home). Nobody even questioned the sudden deterioration in her condition over a period of 3 weeks.

Incidentally, yesterday the hospital decided that she is in fact NOT medically fit and will not be discharging her just yet.

Thank goodness a sensible social worker is now involved, and proper assessments will be made when she is deemed medically fit again.

Hopefully she will eventually regain her mobility and independance and come back to the care home, where all her friends are and where the staff are perfectly able to look after bedridden residents (my 93 year-old mother is bedridden and lives there).

End of rant. Sorry.