Stratheden Hospital

Stratheden Hospital 2021-12-30 Person 2 5 0

My brother has been detained in Stratheden Hospital under the Mental Health Act. He has Dementia and is partially sighted due to the disease. No allowance has been made for the fact that my brother's sight is severely restricted. My brother spent time on Muirview Ward and, while the staff there fulfilled their personal care obligations, most displayed very little empathy or sympathy towards him and other patients. There was no music on the ward, no activities and very little communication between staff and patients. Due to Covid restrictions, one visitor once a day was allowed and permission for my sister-in-law to take my brother outside into the small courtyard garden for fresh air was given on the whim of the particular staff member on duty. No information regarding my brother's detention and his rights was given to his wife (my brother's carer and Power of Attorney) on his arrival on the ward. The food which my sister-in-law saw being served to my brother looked unappetising and was not nutritious, and he stopped eating. Within weeks, he'd lost 5Kgs in weight and my sister-in-law began taking in food from home which he ate and enjoyed. He was injured during the night on one occasion while on Muirview and had a black eye and bruised face. There were no witnesses and no explanation was given about how these injuries might have occurred. My sister-in-law was not given access to the incident report. My brother is now on Cairnie House Ward and, although the staff are kind and they carry out their duties as far as personal care is concerned, they are only too willing to give Lorazepam injections whenever my brother shows any signs of being upset or agitated. Staff on both Muirview and Cairnie House Wards have been seen by my sister-in-law attempting to give medication via a syringe into my brother's mouth instead of in or with a drink; once, when in Muirview, while he was sitting on the toilet! My sister-in-law has been able to stop this practice as it is both frightening and unnecessary to give medication to my brother (or anyone) in this way. Again, there's no music on Cairnie House Ward (not even on Christmas Day!) and no entertainment or activities for the patients, though I believe that some members of staff read newspaper articles to those who are interested. Is it not possible (precautions could surely be taken, even during Covid restrictions) to invite volunteers into the hospital to play music - a guitarist, for example?) or for someone to come in and organise chair exercises, or for the patients to throw a beachball to each other? As it is, the patients wander around aimlessly because what else can they do? My brother can no longer read or write and he cannot see or follow a programme on television. He loves music but cannot operate his CD player, even if it were allowed into the dormitory where he slept until a few days ago (he's currently in someone else's room as he has a bad cold and cough). He was given a PCR test after coughing for several days but this proved negative for Covid. My sister-in-law has had to press for some kind of cold and cough medication to be given. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy sessions have recently been taking place on this ward but my brother, though invited to attend, was unwilling to take part. We have been unable to ascertain exactly why he didn't want to take part in the sessions or what activity each session consisted of. After four months in Stratheden my brother's dementia appears to have worsened and the man who could wash, shave and dress himself while he was at home is now unable to do anything for himself. I, my sister and my sister-in-law are doing everything in our power to monitor his care while he remains in Stratheden and my sister-in-law is permitted to spend several hours every day with my brother.