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DMRO - Assisted decision making

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  • 18-01-2024 1:30am
    #1
    PaulMason
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭


    Hi, for background, my father is in his late seventies, and has dementia that was clinically diagnosed by a clinician assessments and MRI scans etc for the past 10 years .. outcome of all recent med assessments, he requires 24hr care, which his family(we) agreed with.

    We went through the DMRO process in the courts as he owns his assets not his children, and therefore we needed to make the call for him, that he needs this care as outlined by the clinicians and resident geriatrician. As arduous as it was, and let me tell you, it was and is. We needed to get this to avail of funding for his nursing home care as its extraordinarily expensive. We did not get awarded it.

    The reason, SAGE ireland went and visited my dad twice, 30 minutes each time, to which they asked him does he want to go into full time care. He of course said NO, he'd rather stay on his farm as that's where he feels safe. He has no insight into his own needs due to his dementia. He thinks he's fine on his own with limited supervision, which of course he's not. He has had many accidents on the farm, lucky to be alive only for nosey neighbours stopping by to check on him.

    So they submitted a report to the court and low and behold, the judge refused him the care he needs and wants him to stay on the farm, with support packages that are clearly not sufficient. I thought these institutions were there to protect the elderly? not do the exact opposite and prevent them from getting the care they need ?

    1. Have SAGE any legal right within the current legislation to do this ?
    2. Why on earth would they prevent a person getting the help a doctor says he needs ?
    3. If the person is clearly not of sound mind due to a cognitive disease, how can you tell they fully understand what there saying ?
    4. Just because a person with dementia understands a basic question, it does not mean they understand the ramifications of their answer ?
    5. Shouldn't common sense prevail in circumstances like this, when its clear the person needs specific supports that living at home simply cannot be provided ?

    So the nursing home care would be 24/7 care, this is what he needs according to the medical professionals. Bear in mind, the best HSE care package available is 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. They don't work saturdays or sundays. This would leave him vulnerable for the other 9 hours a day and 24 hrs a day on saturday and sunday.



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