A woman has told the Lynn News of her upset after her mother was moved from her care home into a smaller room and further away.
Last week, 87-year-old Kathleen Smith was moved from Goodwins Hall care home in Lynn over to Heacham and her daughter Christine Neve says it was without the consent of her family.
Mrs Neve said that her mother has Alzheimer’s and dementia and is upset by her change in surroundings.
She blames an NHS discharge practitioner from Norfolk County Council for the move and says that no family meeting was organised to discuss her mother’s move.
Christine said that the practitioner didn’t speak to members of staff when entering Kathleen’s bedroom to ask her directly if she wanted to move.
“They’ve taken my mum’s answer as gospel. She told me that she doesn’t want to go,” said Christine.
“She said yes at the time, but it registered in her head later that she really didn’t want to go.
“I had to tell mum she was moving and she was devastated.”
Mrs Neve explained her difficulty in travelling to Heacham to visit her mother due to her own health problems.
“It’s not just distressing to mum, but also to me and my sister and brother.
“My mum moved from Essex. She was going to move in with me, but I’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease,” said Mrs Neve.
“Mum needs to be in a nursing home and not a care home.”
When contacted by the Lynn News for comment, a Norfolk County Council spokesperson said: “Our role is to ensure older people in short-term NHS-funded reablement beds are appropriately assessed for their long-term care needs.
“Wherever possible we work with both family members and the older person to assess their needs and wishes, taking full consideration of an older person’s capacity to make their own choices about their care.”
The spokesperson continued: “We are committed to making the best possible arrangements to ensure they receive care which meets their needs and supports their wellbeing, resilience and independence.
“Throughout our assessment of Mrs Smith’s care needs we have been working with her and her family and will continue to do so.”
