How do you choose a care home for a relative or friend? The care home
may look perfect in the brochure, but is that a true reflection of what
it's like to live there? Can the manager's claims be trusted? Written by
an insider who's worked in care for sixteen years, this book will show
you how to tell if all is really as it seems. Are the home's residents
looked upon as people, or just as money generators? Will your mum be
allowed something to drink in the evening, or will she be left thirsty
just so that she won't need the lavatory in the night? This is a book
for anyone with a relative or friend in residential care. It's also a
book for current and future residents and the carers who look after
them. 'Behind those care home doors' will show you what to really look
for in a care home and how to check the standards of care provided and
what to do if things go wrong. The author describes her front line
experiences of abusive behaviours and harrowing standards of care, often
from senior staff. She questions why carers who have the most contact
with patients are frequently ignored when they raise concerns. Typical
care home fees are equal to a staying in a good hotel with a private
nurse and yet many homes are cutting staff to inappropriate levels. The
author describes working in a care home with fees in excess of £900 per
week and a menu promising smoked mackerel paté, homemade crusty bread
and salad while the staff were obliged to serve muffin and chips, fish
fingers and spaghetti hoops, out of date food, and mean portions. If
you're contemplating working in a care home 'Behind those care home
doors' will give you an insight and help you to decide whether care is
the right career for you physically and emotionally. This book would
also make valuable reading for care home managers and owners who may be
finding the day to day pressures within their organisation are leading
to decisions they know to be wrong.
