Reply To: Help for elderly/infirm

[Anonymous]

Hi Rob,

Having been through the very same thing myself over the past few years, having mum in her own home got very worrying as she would forget her medication and be found in the morning by the carers needing hospitalisation.

Unable to leave the house very easily she saw little of people other than her carers popping in 3 times a day to do the necessities and me going over there when my health allowed.

She became more and more withdrawn although she insisted she was happy on her own. She would burn her food, or even forget to eat, and lost weight. Eventually there was no alternative but to get her into care. I chose a good nursing home, and got it paid for by the council apart from £20 per week.

She is now clearly happier, has regained the lost weight, made a really good friend of one of the others, and the pair of them even zimmer across the road to an OAP club in the church hall opposite. The food in the home is excellent, and all of the washing, cooking, and cleaning is taken care of, so she no loger has to struggle with them.

Being closer to my house also means that I can do a 500 yard detour and pop in to see her on my way home at any time whereas before I had to calculate whether my pain levels would let me make the necessary half hour each way detour to get to see her.

So going into a home isn’t the prison that it used to be, and my mum now wishes that she had gone there earlier.

If you want more info send me an email.

Cheers, Dave