And the day starts with needing to sort out mother again.

She had a fall at the weekend – 6 days ago:

Mother picked up her lunch tray from the floor where she put it – yes she shouldn’t be doing this but I can’t stop her. Her leg went into spasm – as it does and she collapsed onto her knee and the knee went into her chest as she fell. Her ribs are bruised or cracked. Originally painful but manageable, the pain increased during the week needing the GP 48 hours ago to review as this reduced the emotional coping with the pain as well as the physical moving. She has taken to her bed as she does when not well and has stopped eating as too nauseous with the pain and almost stopped drinking so she doesn’t have to get up and go to toilet causing pain.

So I am visiting daily again as well as her carers three times a day.

She needs dentist changing (she won’t be out of pain with ribs bruised or cracked by next week) and paracetamol ordering – she needs big box as takes regularly for pain when has a problem – when CCG/Government announce that paracetamol cheap so GP s are not prescribing it, this ignores the needs of these chronic patients.  I couldn’t keep up with buying it as you can only purchase a limited amount because of the overdose concerns.  The previous supplies are running out.  But because she doesn’t take them when she is well it isn’t on regular prescription.

So I go to phone her surgery to see how best to proceed. I am her registered carer and they have seen the power of attorney documents. The practice is closed for training. But I can do it on the automated phone system if I create a pin number.

I think I will try it on the automated system so at least I can leave a message which may well produce the results I need. I am aware it takes 48 hours to get a prescription: tomorrow is Friday and so it will be Tuesday before the 48 hours are up.

So I browse my files on mother’s health, find the online access piece of paper I was supposed to have destroyed for safety. Go to log in – I cant as it wont take the printed password and the one I thought it would have been changed to, it isn’t. I  try to reset  the password but the information I input when requested comes up as “doesn’t match”. I am not sure if I set my email up or not – she hasn’t got it and couldn’t do it, is it this that is wrong?

So I go back to try to do it by phone. I phone again listen to the messages again, and then can press the number for prescriptions.

I go to set up a PIN number and finally get to where I can do it. It asks for DOB – I can do that and duly enter my mother’s in the format requested. It then asks for “phone number”. Is that mine as carer? Mobile? Home?  Or her home number?  It becomes too much for me and so I will have to wait till tomorrow and phone the practice and start again. Luckily I am at home, though this again puts off what I need to do or runs the danger of being forgotten if there is a home crisis like water leaking as there was yesterday.

I am worried that despite everything I won’t achieve what I need over the phone or website because i am the carer not the patient and will need to set the computer access up all over again before i can order anything. This will mean I will have to drive across town to the surgery to do the order and get the piece of paper with a new password on to be able to reset it all. Good for safety but not for me as another morning will disappear generating the feeling of running round in circles just to achieve the minimum. Three steps forward and two steps backwards.

I would like to see this all set up for me to do as her carer rather than this half and half system where sometimes it is her data that is needed and sometimes the remember to use mine e.g. for phone calls.  All this is deeply trying, wastes my time and makes being the carer even harder than it is. And I have some understanding of the system.

It really isn’t easy as a carer. I now take my hat off to them/us.

Luckily the dentist appointment change is easy and sorted by the lovely receptionist who remembers me booking the appointment as we talked about her special mobility needs. Phew.