Address: County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DHTelephone: 03448008020Website: www.norfolk.gov.uk
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297 responses from the local community
Concerned about P2P being online now
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Submitted by Anonymous11th November 2019
My wife and I are expecting our first child and I'm concerned about the fact that Pathway to Parenting (P2P) antenatal classes are now going to be fully online. We've been told the only option is to pay to go to something run by NCT which is £150. We're first time parents and it's all a bit daunting for us. All the other options are paid for so there's nothing equivalent.
The midwives are brilliant but they're limited to about 15/20 minutes when they visit.
We've done two of the online sessions now and one was about brain development which isn't relevant for us yet and the other has been about what you to prepare. But the what to prepare video just included two couples saying what you didn't need, not useful things you would need. There's been no information on what happens and when it happens to help us prepare.
We're in our third trimester so I don't want to bother our midwife with things at this stage but we're trying to plan ahead and get prepared.
I'm just worried about my wife. I'm worried about her missing out on the social aspect of P2P e.g. meeting other mums in the same situation and forming a support network. From what I've heard it's about having someone to text at 2am when you're stressed or when I come home from work and I want to rest but she's been home all day without adult conversation.
We had some help around the home when my husband was discharged from the hospital after having a fall and hitting his head. He already has an existing heart condition and we are fine most of the time. When he came out of the hospital he was unsteady on his feet and I wasn't strong enough to hold him to help.
The lady that came round was very good! She came every morning and was always on time. It was brilliant for me because I wouldn't have been able to do it myself and he needed that extra help for a short period of time while he got better.
I'm very grateful for the help.
My wife has been waiting over a year for a proper bed at home. The OTs delivered a mattress and it was fitted incorrectly leaving my wife in pain. A manager overruled one of the OT's decision regarding the type of bed she needs - this would have helped her hugely.
It's hard to work out what support is available, what support we need and actually getting my husband to agree to having it. He thinks he can cope with it and doesn't need the support but it worries me that if I were to go into hospital then he'd be stuck without everything I do around the house as his carer.
We've been in touch with people for grab rails to support my husband's return from hospital and they were great. The doctors in Wymondham have given me a form to fill in to declare I'm his carer but I've just not had time to do it yet.
My husband is 85 years old and he's not driven for ages. He really wants to drive but I'm worried about it because his reflexes aren't what they used to be.
I have dealt with NCC for 30+ years because of my daughters' needs. The cuts mean she has faced closure of a day centre she used to use. She got her funding withdrawn, it takes away her independence. Some staff are excellent but it can be hit and miss.
My husband died 2 weeks ago. He never got an in-person assessment, only one over the phone after which an in-person assessment was meant to happen. I needed the advice on how to care for him at home but never got it. By the time they called for the over-the-phone assessment he was in hospital anyway. I tried to put in place things for when he was out but that never happened either. I wasn't given any indication from them of how long I would need to wait. It seemed because I was self-funding they weren't interested. The signposted me to Alzheimer's society for stairlift advice which I knew wasn't appropriate.
I am in the process of getting help with amenity and sensory support, it has been a long process as there was an administrative error with my visual impairment certificate but they've done what they can to help me
I get a phone call from a lady at Age Concern every Wednesday and it's something I really look forward to. I get to know her and she gets to know me - we talk about our week and our families and it's just someone to talk to. It's nice to have something to look forward to every week and she even leaves a message if I'm not in when she calls.
I had adaptions made to my home when I would have preferred being able to move to a more suitable (smaller) home. They added in a stair lift to a three bedroom house. I mean, don't get me wrong, my house is lovely but it's better suited to a family not just me by myself. I wanted to be somewhere more suitable where I could get about easily.
I also go to a number of support groups and they're great for getting me out and about and making friends.
My Dad is currently just waiting in Wedgewood Hospital until he can be found a care home. But when we called for help when he was being violent due to his dementia we got no help at home. As a family we went without sleep for almost a week. We were told to go to the police if he was being violent at home - they said it wasn't their responsibility. Then we were directed to fast response - they told us they don't deal with this. We couldn't restrain him ourselves. We were left for a week without support and then he ended up in hospital needing a care home. Now we've been told he can't come home but we feel that if he had better support this may not have been the case. It felt like they were saying "he's got dementia, it's now in the final stages, get on with it!". We have had people come in but they were only there in the morning and the afternoon - not the evening when he was at his worst. We tried an overnight carer but she didn't speak any English so my dad couldn't understand them and neither could we, which made it really difficult to sort out his care. It's been a bad experience in general for the whole family.
The first point of contact with Norfolk County Council was this woman who was wholly unapproachable. She dictated to me what my mother needed and when I tried to say things that would be helpful she said "I know exactly what your mother needs" is a horrible tone.
The first social worker we has was inexperienced and had no insight into dementia. They then offloaded my mother's care onto another case worker as soon as possible.
After my mother was discharged from hospital she was assigned a First Choice carer to help with re-enablement. The carers she had were shocking! One stunk of vodka when she came round once. Another time she rang my mother and said she couldn't come round so asked if my mother could put herself to bed. My mother said it was okay and then slept in her chair all night until I found her the next morning. I now try not to contact them if I don't have to because I know it will be painful. I also find other's are experiencing the same issues at the support groups I go to.