I would like to express my grateful thanks to matron Caryl Misselbrook and her staff at Village Walk Frail Care on the kind and compassionate way they’ve handled the admission of my mother, Phyllis Jenkins (75), to the unit.
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Being a professional nurse myself with nearly 30 years of experience in dementia care, I can only commend Misselbrook for going into the unit at 1.30am in the morning to help my mother settle by tearing up paper, talking, dancing and reassuring her and then spending the rest of the night in a recliner next to my mother as the night staff were finding it difficult to cope with her.
My mother has Alzheimer’s disease.
The increased burden on healthcare services, financial implications and stress on those caring for people with dementia is worrying.
Dementia is not a normal part of aging.
This is a disease process leading to a progressive deterioration of brain function for which there is no cure at present and eventually leads to death.
Although nurses are often given negative press, I am still glad to say the majority of nurses are patient, skilled and understanding of their patients’ needs, very often under difficult circumstances.
They are abused verbally and sometimes even physically, not only by the residents themselves, but families often have unrealistic expectations and demands.
I do understand that many times it comes from the guilt, anger, sadness and loss that families experience of being unable to manage their loved ones at home anymore.
This does not warrant the rudeness I see with no “please” or “thank you’s” or even listening to the explanations of why a situation occurred.
After all, when you are helpless to feed, bath or get to the toilet by yourself, you do need skilled help you can trust.
This is not a well-paying or recognised profession with the status it deserves but I believe an attitude of gratitude and more kindness towards both residents and staff can go a long way towards making this difficult job easier.
I am grateful for all the hard-working nurses out there who care and continue to help those that cannot help themselves, not only in recovering from illness but also assisting at the end of life.
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