Expectation meets a harsh reality
My mother has been a resident at Richmond Aston on Trent for many years. She bought a lovely but very expensive flat in independent living. The gardens were lovely. There was a shop. Good access to facilities for which she was charged £500pm until local residents were allowed to pay much less for access to use all the facilities so swimming, hairdressing appointments etc. became more difficult to get. There were outings arranged every Wednesday in village minibuses but no traffic light system to warn of stairs etc
When she needed a mobility scooter she found there was no covered area to charge and leave her scooter.
The shop closed. The minibuses were sold. She sold the flat at a huge loss and moved into assisted living. Not wishing to buy another apartment, she rented one but it was too small to accommodate her mobility scooter. She was informed that she could not park it outside her door. Food and cleaning were provided but everything else cost extra money e.g £8 to put ointment in her eye.
As her health failed she needed care but there is no guarantee of a place in the care home as patients are also taken from outside. Eventually after weeks of stress a space became available. Dom care did everything they could to make her comfortable during those weeks waiting. The care home Dovedale, provides functional care but she has had to get used to intimate care being provided by both sexes. The decoration is lovely, the carers are lovely but there seems to be constant staff shortages so a call on her buzzer can take ages to be answered, mistakes are made constantly e.g leaving her with no water, providing only a knife for a boiled egg, forgetting a plate for toast and the food is poor e.g. incapable of providing a soft boiled egg and food is rarely hot once it arrives. Her care needs have increased but the care provided is poor e.g I arrived to find her asleep in her chair, covered in sick. A carer had arrived, given her a kidney bowl and left with no follow up for what may have been hours. We received no follow up to our obvious complaint.
The carers can't take residents outside, the activities team only offer structured activities and there is little co-ordination between them so despite warm weather she remains in her room. Carers can't take her, activities team dont. My mother can't hear or see properly any more so is left to sit in her chair all day with no stimulation and no fresh air.
We do take her out but much of the garden is now overgrown with weeds. There is no weekly outing, few activities that she can do. She made friends there but has become isolated from them in the care home (£5 fee to eat downstairs and that is dependent on whether a carer is available to take her down there, leave her and later collect her).
The promises made by the sales person of an easy transition from independent living to assisted living to care home did not match up in reality. The care in the care home is dependent on the 111 service for any emergencies. The staff are lovely but always seem overworked. The result is my mother sitting in a chair all day, often without water, either staring at a TV she can't see or sleeping. My mother is entirely dependent on these people but can wait ages to be got out of bed, rarely gets a shower and calls for the bathroom can mean a long wait. This increases the likelihood of developing sores.
Visiting is difficult with a tiny space for cars and only 1 disabled bay. A previous area was built on to provide more flats for sale. This also resulted in all resident's social activities (Rummikub, cards etc.) being moved to the new building which she could not navigate in her scooter and struggled to walk to. A new cafe was provided but Assisted Living residents were not allowed to eat there without paying extra.
The village could be so much better. Shutting the shop to provide a staff room was wrong. Those going into Assisted Living should be made fully aware that no care will be provided without additional expensive charges for basic care. They should also be made aware that if they need the care home there may not even be a space for them at the time. There should be a regular visit from a GP to care home residents. Access to fresh air and stimulation should be a regular part of their care. Staff levels should be increased to allow carers to respond to buzzers more quickly and to spend more time with residents.
Proper processes from the kitchen to Dovedale should ensure food arrives hot with correct cutlery and menus should be improved to be healthy and enticing.
The decoration is opulent, the carers themselves are lovely with her but we view the standard of care in the care home to be poor and we are left with the feeling that corporate profit seems to take priority over all else, including the welfare of the residents.
Would not recommend

Resposta da Richmond Villages







