9 July 2014 - note to GP2 Return to Awards Home page here
It is hoped that these docs reduce phone & surgery time. Also that this reaches you before a 1430 call to TDH.
1 Assessment 5 I need help asap svp
2 Innovative professional care 6 Update - medication
3 Daily routine 7 In conclusion
4 Frustrated reaction
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1 Assessment
Thank you for seeing my wife and our elder daughter. Further to the topic of a social worker assessment and the matter of extra household help, I enquire about a possible innovative outcome.
2 Innovative professional care
Internet searches have been carried and I have not seen anything referring to paid carers in attendance with carer and caree. I receive five hours respite per week. However, I hope to enjoy more time with TDH, not less. If the extra help could include meal preparation for all three in the house at the time, my wife and I could enjoy a meal that I hadn’t prepared. The paid carer could also advise me about meals which suit her throat problem. She could even prepare enough meals for two or three days. Cooking and the mess I create are all a nightmare. It isn't envisaged that one person could do everything since TDH's needs are broad. For example, help sorting out her personal papers etc privately would be useful.
update 19 9 2014
Interaction with social workers in progress.
3 Daily routine
A further aspect of the paid carer is that she might be able to help TDH revise daily routine as set out in the six-page doc of Oct 2013 here. Essentially, she spends the morning in bed reading her Bible and attending to her pills. Then it’s bathroom until, sometimes, as late as 4pm. The rest of the day is spent in her disability armchair before two hours bedroom prep.
The night involves four or five times 20 - 30 min WC visits. She seldom sleeps before 0200.
update 19 9 2014
She now has pills which have taken effect. She now gets up once a night, rarely twice. Sometimes it is nought.
4 Frustrated reaction
It is good that TDH is not in need of a CPN. It is good re pills which will reduce the WC nightime routine. TDH’s sleep-level adds to her anxiety situation. At times, it’s as if she decides that if she can’t sleep, I won’t either. Occasionally, she indulges in bright-torch coverage of the ceiling supported by loud comment every 20 minutes until I react in upset. My sleep level leaves me exhausted and reactive during the day We now occasionally argue. Sometimes when I am concentrating on a document etc, she decides to sing loudly. I can see that she needs to react in some way but needs help.
update 19 9 2014
Thanks to GP2, her mood is normal.
5 I need help asap svp
Ideally the paid carer will have the skills to tackle such problems. We look forward to the pills coming into effect. However, I am in need of the cavalry not Calvary.
6 Update – medication
The latest pills seem to result in TDH being much more unstable on her feet and new areas of intense pain are emerging.
update 19 9 2014
Instability less of a problem although the short distance she can walk with two sticks remains the same. The pain aspects have been looked at with a blood test etc.
7 In conclusion
I appreciate that some of the above may fall within the paid respite care as received now. This doc is about the whole and recent picture.
It is recognised that things take time to arrange but TDH may be suffering unduly. My carer needs are also in the present tense.
update 19 9 2014
Overall, the situation is much improved. We can sleep normally. We are out of the house a lot together. We have been away twice in the motorhome. The winter has been a great challenge to get her out of the house apart from appointments. As summer gradually arrived, there was little change until our sessions with GP2.