Mom was neglected of medical care of broken finger and a fall call state with only the result of we will watch the home for future incidents. No reprimand or justice for my mom. It is hard to get a lawyer to touch this unless you have money to pay. She had dementia but was still a human . She was placed in hospices because of head injuries could not eat, she was also on dialysis she could not tell me what happen but she was in pain from this broken finger . No explanation from assistant living home
1. Telephone the administrator and ask for full, clear details of how to use the ALF's formal complaints procedure. He or she must explain it to you, and give you any help you require to follow it.
2. Make your formal complaint. Set out in writing:
• what condition your mother was in when you last saw her
• what you were told about her emergency admission
• what you were told by the hospital following their tests and examinations
• how long she was in hospital, and what treatment she underwent for her injuries
• the outcome, namely her transfer to hospice care
Finally, set out what questions you want answered. These might include:
• What contact did caregivers at the ALF have with your mother in the days preceding her emergency admission?
• Did anyone raise concerns about your mother's wellbeing? If so, what action was taken?
• What were the circumstances leading to the decision to call an ambulance?
• How does the ALF explain her injuries?
3. This MUST be properly and fully replied to, in writing. The complaints procedure guidelines will also tell you how long the ALF can take to do that, so you will know when you must hear back from them by.
The point of all this is, that committing answers to paper is a different thing from fobbing you off over the phone. It's a question of what's on record. "Don't know" is not good enough: they have a duty to investigate, and find out. If they can't find out, they're not watching closely enough - and there's the nub of it.
Goodness! "…they know she had a fall…" indeed! No sh*t Sherlock. Where was she found? How long after anyone had last checked on her? Blimey, is this an ALF or the Marie Celeste? - Sorry, my feeling cross about this won't help you.
It is worth persisting, firmly but politely, and above all in writing, following the official process. At the least you are entitled to explanations or, failing that, a formal undertaking that better monitoring will be implemented. Best of luck, hope you get somewhere.
You are entitled to a full and proper account of what happened to your mother. Please bear in mind that falls happen, and that it is possible no one was at fault. You will also need to remember that strokes can lead to falls which can lead to head injuries: cause and effect aren't always obvious.
If you receive no explanation in response to a written complaint, or if you receive an unsatisfactory explanation, that's when you put it in front of a lawyer; but to be honest, unless the ALF admits negligence, your chance of proving it and succeeding in a claim is vanishingly small - the best you can hope for is that the lawyer will put the fear of God into them. And for heaven's sake choose your lawyer carefully: do not get led into a total nightmare by someone making extravagant promises.