"My mother can't take her medication properly and it's not convenient for me to help her. Can't you do something about it?"
Not the exact words coming from the man who stood in front of me on Friday afternoon, but pretty close.
Our elderly patient was on a waiting list for home carers, people funded by the local council to help clean up and administer medicines.
I had to make an immense effort not to let my jaw drop to the floor, not because the old lady had been on the waiting list for several weeks, but because her son had the nerve to tell us he was due to fly to Malaysia in a couple of days. A vacation, supposedly.
Our patient's medication was provided in a dosette. In case anyone isn't sure what this is, here's a picture:
Everything divided into time of day, days of the week. A helpful aid. Unfortunately, if you have dementia then this is almost completely useless.
I suggested that private carers were an option (but it would cost him) but he wasn't willing to go down that path. Thousands of pounds for a vacation to the Far East? No problem. Money for your mum's care? No chance.
This conversation lasted over 10 minutes, when it really shouldn't have happened at all. He insinuated we should be looking after his mum, dropping into her home to take care of her general needs and pop the pills into her mouth.
If you see me holding revolver to my mouth, it's because I can't believe how easily people disavow responsibility for their aging parents.
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