An elderly relative of mine recently suffered a calamitous fall on a flight of stairs and spent a lengthy period in hospital with a serious spinal injury.
It was a personal disaster, but fortunately the damage to her spine – and a shiver runs right up mine when I hear of an accident involving that lifeline cord and verterbrae – was not so bad as to fully incapacitate her. She is now back home in recovery and can move around with a Zimmer frame, but as she lives alone she needs help. So she is receiving a care service from her local authority, which is outwith the Highlands.
On the one hand the assistance she receives is good and in this day and age may even be surprisingly good, with carers visiting her several times a day.
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But the downside comes with a complete lack of continuity and constantly changing names and faces among those assigned to visit her. And even more so with the basic tasks which, apparently due to rules and regulations, they are unable to do.
In times past the definition of a carer would be just that, someone arriving to provide care in whatever way was necessary, and not hampered in that role by the application of excessive health and safety rules. But my struggling relative has found that’s not how it is any more, in her area at least.
Visiting care staff are not allowed to touch the oven, even to boil an egg for her.
They are not permitted to fill a hot water bottle for her.
And on a more personal level, while washing she asked if a carer could sponge her back. Not allowed, apparently.
She asked a carer if she could apply some cream to her skin. No, that was not permissible either.
In all cases, she stressed, she had no criticism of the people involved. They were genuinely sympathetic. But the rules they apparently are governed by in her part of Scotland have to take priority over her actual needs.
I would emphasise this does not involve the care service in the Highlands, and may well bear no relation to the home care service in the Highlands. But it is indicative of how difficult things can be, even when underpinned by the best of intentions.
Most of us are now so acutely aware of – and in some cases indoctrinated by – health and safety rules that it is easy to tilt towards understanding why ovens must not be used and hot water bottles must not be filled. It is possible, or at least conceivable, that accidents could happen. But with the ailing oven owner on hand to provide guidance there would surely be negligible risk of burns, scalds or an explosion which would obliterate all surrounding properties. Filling a hot water bottle could somehow result in an accident involving very hot or boiling water. But the chances of that happening would surely be extremely remote.
And as for the inability to sponge a back or apply cream to skin – well that’s just not at all satisfactory.
My relative in the south who is steadily recovering has experienced considerable frustration in very difficulty times, but she still has nothing but praise and gratitude for her carers. She is that type of person. But her main complaint was the way the system is organised, and the impact of those confusing, excessive and morale sapping rules.