Abuse, Neglect & Discrimination

Roddy

It is a sad fact of life when we read or hear about acts of abuse towards the elderly sick or disabled that reside in Care Homes and are totally reliant upon those who are entrusted & employed to provide us with care & support. Abuse comes in all forms and we often don’t realise when we are being abused ourselves, wilfully knowingly and wantonly.  It is particularly problematic for those of us who are incapable of venturing outside, are without family or friends or any visitors.  We solely depend upon the very same people which may be our abusers and take charge of everything on our behalf.  Furthermore, when failures of duty, abuse, neglect and victimisation extends though all departments where is a listening voice? 

I consider myself fortunate. My body is disabled but my mind is not, and it is only my mind that has allowed me to be aware of the abhorrent codes of practice that I have to endure daily.  I live in a Sheltered Accommodation facility with 7 other elderly sick and vulnerable residents. Services are paid for and yet not received. Services are added which do not exist. Any complaints or logical suggestions are simply ignored or addressed by the very people that abuse & neglect you.  Management, staff and all personnel, have no qualified experience or training to care for or to support the elderly sick and disabled. Health & Safety regulations are breached as so too are Fire Safety standards… … Risk assessments have never been made for any resident on a regular basis, and in some instances not for 10+ years… Residents with mental health issues are ‘forced’ to sign documents, agreements and who knows?  Partially blind residents too. It has not been unusual for me having to wait up to six weeks for my bedding or towels to be laundered or serviced, or having no food or drinks at all prepared for me for 5 days, and I kid you not. Oh, and my Housing Provider receives £221.00 per week for the privilege.

Add the above to the prevention of using a telephone and/or having access to the internet, and what you have is a recipe for systematic abuse, neglect and discrimination without it becoming apparent to the outside world. False information is supplied on your behalf by the abusers. They control your applications, your access to anything and in situations such as my own, they invent, cover-up and instil a false sense of security to professional parties & bodies out of house.

Trust me. It has taken me 2 years  of pain and suffering to get where I am today in terms of having just ‘some’ of my complaints being taken seriously, albeit with the limited resources at my disposal. Being passed on from one organisation to another has been a huge stumbling block, and/or finding a solicitor that is willing or able to assist. Local Authority intervention; my local MP; Commissions, Agencies and/or advice centres have all crumbled along the way to reduce me back to square one again, time and time again. However…

 … Through perseverance and the knowing that I am right, I have now finally reached the stage where legal action is imminent and has been deemed as having a 88% success in terms of having those that have wilfully abused, neglected and discriminated against me for 2+ years, brought to justice in a court of law by solicitors. The ‘abusers’ have tried everything at there disposal to prevent this from happening and have made my life as difficult as is possible in due course in the hope that I would either give-up, break or forget it.  They have broken my faith, broken my spirit and affected my health & wellbeing, but not my resolve and for that I remain very grateful. Would I do it again? You bet I would, but I should have never had to in the first place.  

Misscleo

Been there too. And your right going through solisitors is the only way forward.

I know of 2 people who openly abuse the disabled people that they are paid to look after.
Their remarks and bragging of what they have done. Such cruelty. Lock them up

Roddy

Thank you for your response, and I'm sorry to hear that you've had a similar experience. I don't know how such people sleep at night. They are a stain on their profession. I know what it is to be a carer as I single-handedly brought up my Son who has special needs, and also cared for my elderly mother of 97 years. If you cannot do it, or it's too much trouble and just a laugh, then you should not do it. Period...

I intend to throw the book at those responsible for my own situation, and they won't be grinning anymore, laughing when I cry, or scheming during their time here as to what they can do to me next. Other residents are too frightened to speak out, or have simply given up. It is shameful.

Thank you again, and I hope that others that read this can be as brave as us if ever they have the unfortunate need to do so.