Scaremongering Sells Papers And Helps Politicians Build Their Careers.

Canadian Art.



The truth about care in this country at the moment is that care system as it was got broken up in 1988/89, the own contribution was introduced and care consaequently became more expensive.

The intention was to privatise it and now it has become an industry like all the others such as transport or car manufacturing and profits are required.

Before this care had been better, I worked at the time for Humanitas and until the end of 1988 we had plenty of time at each clients home.

Suddenly we had to visit more people each day and did not have the time to give anyone more than cursory care.

Now there was no longer anytime to accompany clients to the shops or to the doctor’s surgery, now we had to go to 4 clients in the morning and 4 clients in the afternoon.

Until 1989 alot of time and attention was given to training, counselling and supporting staff and not so much afterwards.

After the breaking up and reorganisation of the care system instead of good care by organisations like Humanitas now there was below average to bad care from Thuiszorg(Home Care)

Currently there are many Care agencies who ask alot of money for their services and they do not pass on this money to their badly paid, trained and unsupported staff.

Now it is all about making profit and not about care.

Even prisons can be profitable; prisoners are put to work making all sorts of things.

Such as jeans and packing cards and small toys and board games and other items and none of the products will be labelled made in prison.

There are always stories about how good life is in prison and recently it was compared favourably here to the care system.

Nothing could be further from the truth; life in prison is not good, it is dull and boring with no education, work or any other outlet and always the threat of violence from staff and other inmates

The truth does not sell as many newspapers but lies, half truths and gossip sell plenty of papers.

Scaremongering worries people and makes them afraid and gives politicians the chance to build their careers

Thinking of care makes me think about Steve and wonder how he is coping without his darling BobRobert.

Please everyone let us keep giving Steve all the support he needs right now, visit him at his blog The Wheel of Fortuna and leave a supportive message.

http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

Silver Lining.

Modern Dutch Art.

Yesterday at the end of what was a good day, my hands and fingers suddenly could not function well anymore.

The moment that I heard the door close behind Richie and Marleen, my right index finger stopped working and I could not do a thing apart from admire the picture on my desktop.

It was a horrible especially as it lasted for the hour and abit that Richie and Marleen were in the park.

Just before they got back I managed to open and move a card in a game of freecell, this was quite an achievement.

It was only one card but it felt good that I could do that, had to get Richie to pay the television subscription as I could do anything again,

Once the bill had been paid Richie hoisted me out of bed and in to the shower chair and took me through to the bathroom.

After Richie washed me he rolled me back into the bedroom in the shower chair for my 30 minutes on the Motomed machine.

When I was back in bed my index fingers and my hands were working again, oh the joy of a functioning index finger.

Losing the function in my index fingers is something that I dread, but it is beginning to be a reality, it happens every day now, usually just before being hoisted out of bed.

Once I am back my fingers work again, long may it continue.

But I am realistic enough to know that this coming and going of index fingers and hand function usually means that it will stop soon.

That is the reality that is how it happened with my legs, I started having problems walking any distance in April 2006.

By end of November my walking days were over, I could still get up and shuffle a few steps holding on and sit in a chair.

Could still be independent then, and do everything for myself which was good, guess with hindsight I knew it was all coming to an end.

Just had hoped to be shuffling for a few years more, big shock at end of March 2007 when standing up and shuffling a few a steps to sit on a chair or the toilet or the shower chair bcame impossible.

Until the end of March 2007 I was still showering and dressing myself and making myself a couple pieces of toast for breakfast.

Would sit happily in the kitchen with dogs then roll to the pc in the front room and spend the morning there until Richie got in from work at 13.30
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Even though I was stuck in our apartment on the second floor without a lift, I was still happy as I could still shuffle those important 3 steps.

The day that stopped was a huge shock, luckily I had absent minded slipt the phone into my pocket and could ring Richie and get him to come home and rescue me.

This happened several times and then I had to accept that I was not going to be able to manage on my own
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That was when we had to use the home care services, which were no longer as good as they were before the service was made a commercial enterprise.

It was mostly a nightmare having different people coming to the apartment three times a day.

Some care workers were very good and others were shockingly bad, 4 really hurt me using the hoist badly and strapping my feet so badly in the Motomed that I got blisters and then the skin came off m ankles luckily it healed within 6 weeks.

Glad that finally because my MS had progressed so much I now needed constant care, this entitled me to get a disability allowance so Richie could stay home and look after me fulltime
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This is so much better than Richie working and also doing everything for me as the care workers preferred to do the minimum.

It is a lot of work for my darling, I do appreciate very much that my darling is here with me looking after me.

The silver lining for me is Richie and his love and care.

Woke up quite gently this morning and lay here quite enjoying the sounds from outside.

Then started getting a touch melancholic and next thing I was crying and the tears were running down my face my ears were getting wet.

Put the bed into a half sitting position this also made it easier to stop crying that and regulating my breathing.

It is true though that when you are lying down and you cry you find it harder to stop than sitting up.

Luckily did not wake my darling which I was very happy about.

As soon as I had recovered my composure I did the arm and back exercises and tried not to make too much noise in the process.

Don't think it was sucessful think I sounded like an old steam train trying to ascend a large mountain.

Just after the exercises were done and as I was falling deeply asleep heard Richie getting up turned out it was 10.15 already.

Richie got himself a coffee and some thc for me, I stopped drinking coffee before I had the catheter as coffee makes you pee alot and I was constantly under estimating the effect of coffee.

Plus at the time had carers coming in who were very bad, they regularly did not come on time or just did not come at all.

One time one 'carer' left me in the lurch twice in one day and it ended up with urine flowing out of the bottom of my chair because I could not hold it any longer.

Finally the 'carer' who should have come round at 12 noon and 14pm came round at 15.30 and then she was so dreadfully clumsy with the hoist that she hurt me badly which caused huge spasms in my legs and shocks to the lower back.

And during all this fumbling I had pissed again and was not a happy girl!

Luckily a good friend came round and saved the day, despite never having any knowledge of the hoist.

She put the lifting harness expertly round me and under my legs and hoisted me up removed trousers and knickers and showered me and got me clean and dry knickers and trousers.

What a woman!

Still so glad Richie is looking after me as he does it so very well in comparison to the Home Care experts we have had here.

Richie does it all very carefully with the minimum of pain and discomfort,mind you every little movement can and does hurt so it is very difficult to move me without hurting me.

Luckily they do not come here now, took awhile to recover from the trauma certainly took the dogs longer as they got very upset with the never ending flow of strangers.

The staff are not to blame it is the result of the new policy of getting rid of qualified staff and hiring staff without training on a very low wage.

This is Government policy for the Home Care Industry which then can only provide a low level of care.

Since the qualified staff have mostly all gone now there are heaps of Home Care Bureaus popping up all over the place.

Staff come and goes quick as they are always on the lookout for a job with more money.

Luckily all that is in the past now and I am no longer at the mercy of yet another Home Care bureau.

Happy days!

Weather is wonderful going to enjoy it now.