Tuesday 30 May 2023

"'...you would think with all those people they would be able to manage it without tying her down.'"

Spoken like someone who has absolutely no experience of dealing with someone in the throes of dementia. Lucky person...

The Met police had been called to the block of flats on May 9 following disruption between the woman and her carer.

Presumably she got aggressive or violent and the carer either wasn't trained to cope, or it was so bad she had no other choice but to call police.  

The elderly woman, described as thin and small, is said to have panicked and began ranting at police. She also threw cups of coffee at officers, the paper reported. She was later handcuffed with a hood chucked over her head...

Being spat on is utterly disgusting, whether it's an urban yoof resisting arrest, or a demented woman. Should the police have just put up with it? 

Former Met commander John O'Connor said that the treatment of the old woman by the officers was 'beyond comprehension' and said it should have been dealt with my (sic) medical professionals 'who knew what they were doing'.

Excellent answer, John! Now, do tell me the number police should call to get these 'medical professionals' to come out and deal with it instead?

John...?

You've gone a bit quiet, John. Is it because you know that no such team or service currently exists? 

I wonder if you were paid for your time shitting on your former colleagues, Maybe instead of answering the questions, you should have asked a few, instead? 

Like who else, other than police, existed to take this role on when the carer called for help? 

Or why a 91 year old with florid dementia wasn't in a care home (I can guess - they are expensive, and councils would rather not spend the money if they can get away with not spending it)?

4 comments:

Dr Evil said...

I know a man at the local British Legion club. His wife has dementia. She used to attack him when she was at home. He had her placed in care for which he pays. He regularly visits her. It is the attacking bit that he eventually couldn't cope with any longer. The famous 'men in white coats' no longer exist to take care of violent demented patients. I expect they never did exist in reality.

Andy said...

I cared, not very well sadly, for my mum when she developed dementia. Thankfully she rarely got truculent and never violent. The levels of care and contact with outside agencies was nonexistent. I have no idea what I would have done or who I could have turned to if she had.

I cared for my mum at home and obtained Lasting Powers of Attorney in part because of the swarm of council and other do-gooders asking if she owns the house. She did and I'm sure that without my intervention this would have gone to pay for her incarceration and rapid decline. We paid for daily visits from carers to dress and wash mum, family did the rest. Family is the best option if it's at all possible.

Anonymous said...

The woman was black-they've had it .
Jaded

JuliaM said...

"The famous 'men in white coats' no longer exist to take care of violent demented patients. I expect they never did exist in reality."

Oh, they did!

Back when I was about 16, my grandmother's dementia escalated to the point she pegged a heavy glass ashtray at my grandfather. The GP was round the next day, she was sectioned (or whatever it was called then) and off to a mental hospital the next day.

I visited. It wasn't a bad place, she was warm, clean, fed and safe.

"The levels of care and contact with outside agencies was nonexistent."

And that'd be the way to keep it. If you can put your life on hold. I have PoA for my mother, and yes, the SS only care about what they can get their hands on. It's obscene.

"The woman was black-they've had it ."

I hope not, but I fear you're right...