Latest news with #nursinghome
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Former Douglas nursing home to be converted into six houses
A former nursing home that has remained empty for 15 years is to be redeveloped into six town houses. Proposals for the building in Douglas, which was previously the Saddle Mews Nursing Home, have been approved by the planning site on Groves Road sits between the National Sports Centre and the Saddle Mews retirement village. Committee chairman Rob Callister said while he was saddened the site would no longer be a nursing home, he believed the development would be good for the area. Previous plans for a block of 34 apartments on the site were approved in those proposals abandoned, the applicants Kirindolam 2 Ltd are now planning to create six four-bedroom town houses, with front and rear gardens and two parking spaces per property. Objecting to the plans, residents of the retirement village next door expressed concern over the number of car parking spaces. Resident representative Henry Chaplain said a family of four could have two adult children driving and have up to four cars, and there was no provision for guest also said there were fears over potential "trespassing" onto the adjacent land. But Sarah Corlett, speaking on behalf of the applicants, said it was "unreasonable" to assume new residents would be anything but "neighbourly". She also explained that two parking spaces per property complied with the city committee noted that the latest plans would have a "lesser impact" on residents nearby than previous proposals for 34 apartments. The plans were unanimously approved by the committee and objectors now have 21 days to make an appeal. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Hospitals are meant to cure and care for our loved ones, not destroy their quality of life
Among the daily cascade of statistics about the state of the NHS lie, as we all know, individual human stories and for some a quiet rage about how hospitals meant to cure and care for patients are destroying their quality of life. Last weekend, we 'celebrated' my older brother's 82nd birthday in a nursing home. Not where he or we had planned to spend it. In early April, he went into a West Midlands hospital with an infection, shortly afterwards diagnosed as pneumonia. He was in a four-bed section of a ward which appeared fairly well-staffed. But despite numbers, it's difficult to do one's job properly or competently when there's a dominant culture of not caring. A father of three and formerly a successful business owner, my brother has had dementia for several years now but, prior to his admission, he had a good quality of life. The pub one day or night a week for a zero beer with old friends and new, who made a fuss of him, meals out, and two days a week at dementia day care. Supported by a number of privately paid part-time carers, my sister-in-law cared for him so well, and he tucked into his food and watched his beloved sport on TV. So, what happened to all that? After four weeks in an NHS hospital, my brother was finally discharged, cured of pneumonia but unable to walk, doubly incontinent and having lost quite a lot of weight. He was not taken to the toilet but kept throughout in 'nappies'. My sister-in-law frequently had to tell staff when his bed was soaking wet. He lost weight because meals were deposited in front of patients – if you were able-bodied you ate, if not, or confused with dementia, the meal just sat there before it was taken away. Only one male nurse we saw made any attempt to help patients eat. Physio was initially offered but only when he was still very ill with pneumonia. When well enough, we asked for physio but were told he hadn't engaged. So, no physio, despite protests. He now sits in a wheelchair in what is an excellent nursing home paid for by his wife, after she discharged him, but the life he had is gone forever. Precious time was wasted at the hospital as unworkable home care packages were proposed. Having fractured her spine last summer lifting my brother from a fall and also recovering from an NHS treatment that has – at least temporarily – worsened her health, my sister-in-law can no longer care for him at home in the state he is now in. It's more than fortunate that she has the funds (for now) to pay for a nursing home. So many others have no choice but to be in the hands of cash-strapped councils. I've deliberately not shared my brother's name to protect his dignity and privacy, nor identified the hospital as a formal complaint will be made. I know that my brother's plight is not unique. But how can we ensure that the elderly and vulnerable, unable to speak for themselves, are not robbed of their mobility, dignity and quality of life as a result of such a short hospital stay. I'm angry and sad in equal measures, and determined to warn others who are older and liable to require hospitalisation, to beware. Your NHS may have some nasty surprises in store. Meanwhile, Secretary of State, it's too late for my brother, but what are you going to do and when to ensure that NHS hospitals are places of safety and prolong rather than shorten a decent quality of life?
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Update in bid to jail Taser cop
A policeman who avoided jail after fatally tasering a nursing home resident could be handed a harsher sentence as soon as next week. Senior Constable Kristian White, now 35, was found guilty of manslaughter of 95-year-old Clare Nowland after he was called to Yallambee Lodge nursing home in Cooma in the state's south on May 17, 2023. White was sentenced to a two-year community order and 425 hours of community service, but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing the sentence. The judgment will be given on July 30. Mrs Nowland was described as being a 'very aggressive' resident who was holding two knives by a nurse, but was holding only one knife and a penlight when White found her sitting in an office after 5am. He repeatedly told her to drop the blade during a confrontation that lasted less than three minutes. When she failed to drop it, White said 'bugger it' before tasering her: Ms Nowland died in hospital days later. White was found guilty of Mrs Nowland's manslaughter in November last year following a NSW Supreme Court trial. White is expected to learn whether prosecutors were successful in their bid to impose a harsher sentence on him, with the matter listed for judgment in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA). Cop didn't give Ms Nowland 'any real chance' The DPP's case hinges on four grounds of appeal, including the sentencing judge made several errors by assuming both parties agreed White honestly believed his conduct was necessary, in his assessment of objective seriousness, and in finding that general deterrence had 'little or no role' or only a 'minor' role to play in White's sentence. The sentence is 'manifestly inadequate', the final ground claims. Crown Prosecutor Sally Dowling SC last month argued White did not give Ms Nowland – clearly vulnerable and disoriented – any 'real chance to avoid being tasered'. Footage of the fatal incident made it clear Ms Nowland didn't understand or hear White's instructions, Ms Dowling told a CCA hearing. 'The respondent did not give her any real chance to avoid being tasered,' Ms Dowling said. '(There were) many alternate actions that he could have and should have taken.' Ms Nowland didn't advance towards White at any point, and needed to hold onto her walker with both hands, Ms Dowling said, which all fell under the Crown's appeal of objective seriousness. She told the court it took White less than three minutes after first seeing Mrs Nowland to deploy his taser, which caused her to immediately fall and hit her head. 'She never regained consciousness after that fall, and that injury caused her death seven days later,' Ms Dowling said. White's lawyer, Troy Edwards SC, rejected the Crown's claims that Mrs Nowland posed no threat, arguing it was inconsistent with observations of the sentencing judge and witnesses. He also urged the court not to place emphasis on footage from the incident, but to rely on the accounts of witnesses who he said felt frightened as the incident unfolded.
Irish Times
23-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Open verdict recorded after 95-year-old nursing home resident found dead with duvet over head
An open verdict has been recorded in the case of a 95-year-old woman with advanced dementia and physical limitations who was found dead in her nursing home bed with a duvet over her head, having suffered from aspiration of vomit. Bridhaven Nursing Home in Mallow, Co Cork, apologised for the failings identified in the care of Marcella O'Sullivan who was found dead in her bedroom at the home shortly after 8pm on April 13th, 2022. An inquest in Mallow, Co Cork, on Wednesday heard from medical staff at the home that another patient, who also had severe dementia, was in the room when they entered at 8.03pm that night. Coroner Frank O'Connell was told that the other woman was a 'roamer' who entered the rooms of other patients and picked up items. CCTV footage analysed by gardaí indicated that she went to Mrs O'Sullivan's room more than 100 times on the day she died. The vast majority of her visits lasted a few seconds. The evidence was that the duvet was not over Mrs O'Sullivan's head when she was last seen by staff shortly after 5pm. Mr O'Connell said that it was accepted that Mrs O'Sullivan was physically unable to lift the duvet herself. Assistant State Pathologist Margaret Bolster carried out a postmortem on the deceased. She said the case was complex. Dr Bolster said it was her opinion, and those of her colleagues, that Mrs O'Sullivan died after her airways were covered by the duvet, leading to an aspiration of her gastric contents. She said that there was a history of dysphagia (difficulty of swallowing) which meant that the pensioner was on a liquid diet. Dr Bolster noted that the duvet cover was 'less breathable' as it was waterproofed. She said that the deceased had a bruise on her tongue. There was also a large amount of vomit. Mrs O'Sullivan had been fed by staff at about 5pm that day. She was comfortable, had her eyes open and the duvet was at her waist. She wasn't checked again by staff until 8.03pm when she was found dead. A decision was made to contact gardaí arising from the circumstances in which Mrs O'Sullivan was found dead. A file was prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Det Insp John O'Connell said that the woman who was in the room when Mrs O'Sullivan was found dead was assessed by an expert geriatrician. He deemed her not capable of recalling the evening on which Mrs O'Sullivan died. This woman has also since died. Det Insp O'Connell said the DPP directed that no criminal prosecution be made in the case. He said they were left with two possible explanations. The first scenario was that Mrs O'Sullivan vomited and died with the duvet then being placed over her head by the other patient. The second scenario involved the other dementia patient putting the duvet over Mrs O'Sullivan's head and her aspirating her gastric contents, and dying. Det Insp O'Connell said that there was 'no clear evidence' forensic or otherwise to suggest that the other woman intended to cause harm to Mrs O'Sullivan. He said that the other woman 'had no history of aggression.' The six person jury recorded an open verdict. The foreman said that they were all of the belief that a third party put the duvet over the head of Mrs O'Sullivan. However, they couldn't say who that person was or whether it occurred before or after she died. Coroner Frank O'Connell offered his heartfelt condolences to the family of Mrs O'Sullivan whom he said had passed 'on to her reward'. He thanked the O'Sullivan family for the enormous dignity they had shown during the inquest. Barrister Christian Douglas, BL, apologised to the family of Mrs O'Sullivan on behalf of Bridhaven nursing home. 'Bridhaven nursing home wishes to express our deepest and most sincere apologies ...(for) the failings identified. We understand the pain and distress this has caused.'
CBC
23-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
A crisis foretold: 3 decades of warnings on N.B.'s aging population
Social Sharing The nursing home wait-list crisis hitting some of New Brunswick's biggest hospitals this summer may be setting new records, but it should not come as a surprise. Governments have known for decades the province's population was aging, and they would have to cope with an ever-growing number of seniors needing care. "We're well behind the eight ball and we're trying to play catch up," Premier Susan Holt acknowledged at a recent news conference. As early as 1991, a report warned that the province had to get serious about in-home care services. The report, Enhancing Seniors' Independence: Building for the Future, drafted under Frank McKenna's Liberal government, projected the seniors' share of the population soaring from nine per cent in 1976 to a then-staggering 13.1 per cent by 2006. Last year, they made up 22.9 per cent. Without a policy shift, "inappropriate admissions" to hospitals and nursing homes would fill up available beds — a costly option compared to home care, according to the 34-year-old report. WATCH | 'There is no political will': 3 decades of warnings: A nursing home wait-list crisis that everyone saw coming 1 hour ago Government reports dating back more than 30 years warned that an aging New Brunswick population required a shift to more home care. Both parties have known for the last 20 to 30 years that this tsunami was coming," said Florence Parks, a 76-year-old Saint John resident and former nursing home employee who contacted CBC News this week. "Nobody did anything about it." Holt lamented at her July 17 news conference "a history of not moving quickly enough to transform how we deliver care in New Brunswick. And so we have a perfect storm." Earlier in the week, Horizon issued a public plea for the province to grant "critical state admission prioritization status" for more than 650 hospital patients who did not need acute care but were waiting for placement in a long-term care facility such as a nursing home. "It causes emergency department wait times to grow longer. It forces care to be delivered in hallways, dining areas, lounges, and other makeshift spaces — conditions that are far from ideal for patients, families, and staff," CEO Margaret Melanson said. Holt's government agreed to the measure for 30 days. The premier said the estimates of how many people need care in nursing homes and special-care homes "has increased and increased and increased" faster than the creation of beds in such facilities — despite the trend being well-known for a long time. "We live in an aging society and with that brings different challenges," Progressive Conservative premier Bernard Lord said during the 2006 election campaign. "Seniors need more senior care." He was visiting the construction site of a nursing home outside Saint John, a project that had been delayed multiple times. He said the new home would "ease some of the pressure from what is often called bed-blockers" in New Brunswick hospitals. But Lord didn't promise any additional new nursing homes in that campaign. Nor did the leader who defeated him, Liberal Shawn Graham. "Home care has to come first and foremost, but will they fix it?" said Cecile Cassista, executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents' Rights. "I've been saying that for 20 years: 'You need to fix it.' And they're not fixing it." "There's no political will. If there was, they'd do it. They make lots of promises during elections. But there is no will to fix the issue. They know there's an issue, but they only jump on it when there's a crisis." Last week, Holt blamed the Progressive Conservative government of Blaine Higgs for not moving fast enough on primary care to head off the pressure facing hospitals this summer. And home care "hasn't really had any attention over the last number of years," she said. The 1991 McKenna government report forecasting an aging population and calling for more home care, was the first of many. But leaders often focused their promises elsewhere. In 2006, Lord and Graham sparred over who would do more, and who would move faster, to exempt seniors' assets from the calculation of what they pay toward nursing home costs — in other words, to put a larger share of the expense on taxpayers. A subsequent report by the province's auditor-general concluded such policy changes contributed to huge increases to the waiting list for nursing home care. Population of seniors is over 196,000 A 2008 Graham government report on senior care, "Be Independent. Longer," also called for expanded home care. That report underestimated how much the population was aging, projecting that 188,300 New Brunswickers would be 65 years old or older by 2026. But Statistics Canada estimated last year the number was already above 196,000. In 2012, PC premier David Alward said the potential cost of caring for a larger and larger cohort of seniors kept him awake at night. Alward commissioned a report that called for New Brunswickers to "fundamentally change the way they view aging and the role of older adults." A 2017 report for the Liberal government of Brian Gallant also warned of an aging population. It called for more provincial support for home care programs, which it said was in "a sorry stage." At that time, Horizon hospitals were looking after an average of 466 alternative-level-of-care patients — people who could have been in nursing homes or special care homes. The number increased to 480 in 2018-19, dipped for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was pushing 500 in 2022-23. It surpassed 600 this year. One government attempted bold action during that time: the PC government of Blaine Higgs launched a reform in 2019 eliminate night-time emergency care at six small hospitals and turn them into alternative-level-of-care facilities with a total of 120 beds. But the ER reductions were so unpopular, Higgs backed down within days. Expansion of Nursing Homes Without Walls program Last week, when the Holt government agreed to Horizon's request to put alternative-level-of-care patients at the top of the nursing home wait list, it was unable to say how many people might actually be transferred. On Monday, the province agreed to a similar request from the Vitalité Health Network for the Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst. The Liberals hope an expansion of the Nursing Homes Without Walls program, put in place by Higgs, will make it easier for some seniors to remain in their homes — and make more beds available for transfers from hospitals. The program provides some nursing home-style services to seniors living in their own homes. "We're starting to see some of that work snowball a bit, but there's a lot more to be done," Holt said. She also acknowledged that the performance target she set for nursing homes in her state of the province speech in January may seem underwhelming. The goal is to keep the provincial waiting list exactly where it was at the time — 1,088 patients — until 2028. Given the growing number of seniors in need of care, even that isn't easy, Holt said. "The current demographic projections would see the number of people waiting in hospitals and waiting at home for those beds going up exponentially," she said. "And so for us, it was the the best we believed we could do was reduce that exponential increase, such that we were maintaining the list as is." That's not a great forecast for hospital administrators, but Holt said other initiatives, such as improvements to primary care, should ease the pressure further. And after more than three decades of warnings, simply preventing the problem from getting worse would represent a grim achievement.
