Today Anita had some plastic surgery on her face. It has involved several incisions in places that will be hidden, by her ear, inside and outside her mouth. The operation has helped her have a more balanced face and her speech has improved markedly.
There was a meeting today with various professionals from Milton Keynes and the staff at the hospital. We joined the meeting after an initial discussion to consider the next steps for Anita were being considered. She expressed her desire, quite strongly in the meeting, that she thinks when she comes home the physio will be reduced to an unacceptable level. Because of what she has been through before, she feels she will be let down when she returns home. There are no available spaces in Oxford and the talk is of her returning home with support. The outcome was that a well considered plan needs to be drawn up for her return, one that will satisfy all involved. In the past I have been dissapointed with the full needs assessment Anita received. Particularly when you read what the governments has set out in the National service framework for people with long term conditions. You can read about that in a previous post. Quality requirement 1 states:-
A person-centred service. People with long-term neurological conditions are offered integrated assessment and planning of their health and social care needs. They are to have the information they need to make informed decisions about their care and treatment and, where appropriate, to support them to manage their condition themselves.
Anita has recently had another home visit and the natural process for her coming home is begining. This stage has had a huge impact on Anita’s mood, whenever she considers home she faces many uncomfortable issues. She doesn’t want to be baby sat, dressed, etc, she wants to feel that she can have a more independent future. The dificulties of coping with this life change can make her difficult to talk to and she is not able to move on. I have been trying to get her to accept certain things, I have always been honest but that can sometimes make me the enemy.
This week Anita refused an operation on her back. She was due to have a biopsy taken from her back to determine if she has an infection. She says she doesn’t want the operation because she is afraid of becoming paralysed. After what she has been through I can understand her refusal. Maybe the op hasn’t really been explained to her. She doesn’t think her back problems are down to infection, she says it’s a problem in the alignment with her disks. She reckons that she’s been tested for infection before and that her records haven’t been looked at.
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