Carer's That Don't Care

After a 3 and a half months stay in hospital this year I qualified

for a carer to help me with my personal care and with the housework. Initially

they provided 'steps' which was a six week assignment to send a carer around to

my home and either bully me into do things I didn't feel well enough to do or

sit around watching me struggle. After 'steps' I was then entitled to continued

care which involved either signing up to an agency or looking for a private

carer. I tried the Agency route believing there would be a guaranteed quality

of care.

The first agency I tried the 'carers' found it hard to turn up on

time and though a time was set for 9.30am they could show up anytime between 9am

and 10.30am with no notification, no clue as to who was going to turn up and no

apology for being late. The washing up often had to be done again after the 'carer'

had done them and one even emptied out a cold tea from a mug I'd previously

used and made a fresh one over the top of it without washing the mug out first –

yuk!

Unhappy also with a constant string of different 'carers' turning

up every day, each determined to do the bear minimum, I changed agency to Rowland

House. I was still subjected to a constant string of different 'carers' even

though I requested as few as possible. Their 'carers' also tried hard to do as

little as possible, acted as if the housework was beneath them and often

totally ignored me when I tried to speak to them. One even preferred to watch

the tv rather than listen to when I was trying to say something and another one

hit me on the foot with my simmer frame, because she wasn't watching what she

was doing and didn't even apologise.

I requested to see one particular 'carer' since I got on well with

her but the agency felt it was too much trouble to change their plans to suit

me. My daughter, who lives with me, ask for a respite week because she was

unwell and we found that week even more stressful and a normal week. One the

first day the agency said they'd send someone around at 12 o'clock to help with

lunch but when she got here she's actually been scheduled to come for 1.15pm.

The management were impossible to talk to, insisted on doing their own thing

and refused to deal with any complaint or problems. In the end they phoned the

social services and told them they would not deal with me anymore because I

wasn't prepared to do as they said.

Who gave the Agency's the power to refuse to care for someone? No

wonder they treat you s**t. I thought we fought a war to prevent dictatorship?

My daughter at the end of her respite week said she wouldn't trust

the agency to look after me properly should she want to go away.

I am 48 years old and refuse to be treated like my opinions don't

matter and will not have a load of strangers coming to my home and treating me with

contempt because their bosses don't have to worry about any come back from

their behaviour.

My heart goes out to all those elderly people who are also entitled

to carers who are too sick, invalid or senile to object to the disgusting

service these agencies offer.

We are currently looking for someone privately and would recommend

that if you have a loved one who has to rely on 'carers' coming to their home

to do the same and put a stop to these uncaring agencies abusing those that

need it the most.