OUR TELEPHONE LIST

(on average 8 home carers in and out on 3 – 8 hour shifts

• 25 Sep: Bad night last night. Diarrhoea. Stomach hole messy. Up about 8 times, shifting John with draw sheets, changing Kylie sheets. Social Services came 10.20am to repair brake on hoist. Phoned Die titian about diarrhoea – she’ll get district nurse to look at the tube connection.

• 27 Sep: Pump faulty. Phoned dietitian – nobody has turned up. She says she’ll arrange for pump to be sorted. District Nurse came at 11.45am. John still has toothache. Booked Dial-a-Ride for 2pm on 3 October to go to dentist. They say they can’t do outward journey. We can only be on standby!

28 Sep: Toothache persists. No confirmation from Dial-a-Ride. Phoned Camden Plus Bus. They can do only 3 (not 2 October). Phoned care manager at social services. She says try home dentist! Phoned home dentist.

1 Oct: Home dentist comes. Can’t do John’s crown at home. We’ll have to take him to dental surgery. Motability car lease runs out. Phoned them. They can’t find us on their records.

5 Oct: Motability confirmed they’ve found our records. We must come to the centre for John to try out cars with physios. The centre is 30 miles outside London. Booked Red Cross Ambulance coz John can’t get into our old car any longer. We must pay them £120.

24 Oct: District nurse still has not turned up. Gastro is bleeding. Called, left message.

27 Oct: Epileptic fit

2 Nov: Disastrous Red Cross ambulance trip. Driver gets lost. John has fit in ambulance. Monica falls out with the driver

18 Nov: District Nurse turns up. Orders new air mattress.