I was so saddened to read of elderly people being kept in hospital when they could be at home (Letters, 17 November). Almost three years ago, the same thing happened to my beloved mother. Everything was in place for her return – family care as before, warm home, hospital bed etc, yet as the days passed and bedsores accrued, more hurdles were put in place. This only changed when I produced our trump card – registration with the Office of the Public Guardian that we had put in place the year before, saying that I had jurisdiction over my mother’s care and wellbeing. Case dismissed. We baked a cake on her return the next day.
Marie Davis
Peterborough
A few years ago, we had to remove our elderly aunt who had Parkinson’s from a hospital where she was being neglected – with no timeline for discharge – to return her to a care facility where she was well looked after, in the face of great disapproval by the doctors and nurses. So take a warm dressing gown and go. The doctors will not be happy, but they can’t stop you.
Dale Thomson
Winchester