care homes – Dr Rod's Blog (almondemotion)

The offer of a natural death.

Occasionally the nurse in attendance might advise the paramedics or the doctors, ‘He was 100 years old, he was very unwell,’

So, today I was on a Cabinet Office call about care homes.

People who don’t know things, asking people who know things to tell other people who don’t know things, things.

How long until I die? (Locked down and out in 2020)

Often old men and women will seek human contact, particularly when feeling isolated – and when I reciprocate with my gloved hand (that they don’t appear to notice as being anomalously purple or blue) we are able to make contact, to connect.

Prisoners

I know that is so very much the essence of care – understanding the language of interaction. How to approach another, how to speak through gesture, to know what to say and what not.

Covid – difficult moment when the answers are not straightforward

All we can do in the Time of Covid is to do our best and act in good faith.

Testing in the time of Covid…

We have closed schools which has reduced transmission; we can’t close care homes.

Care Home; acceleration towards time.

dim lights that cast no shadow in the bedroom

Older person

Man or woman

sits

silently

Waiting.

Hospital

You see, The Plan says that more will be invested into community care, yet, the cumbersome nature of the NHS, again, the upside-down system of health and social care has resulted in lots or organisation and reorganisation but little transformational thought, little concept of how we can do things differently.

Anticoagulation and possible head injuries in care home residents

Consequently, significant numbers of very frail and older people are transferred to local Emergency Departments following either trivial head injuries or when a head injury is only suspected but not witnessed.