An emotional day.

Day 30

Keith and I went over to Mum's house at 8am and met the new carer who would be with Dad until the afternoon. She was lovely and very chatty and the outgoing carer, Daniel, said that everything had been fine overnight, which was a relief.

Keith and I then popped to Tesco to buy things for Mum and Dad - both for the hospital stay and the care home stay so there was quite a bit to get. Tesco was very quiet and Keith went to get some shopping for us as well while we were there.

After doing the shopping we went home to have breakfast and Mum called to say she was coming home today which I wasn't expecting at all. I was hoping she would be in for a few more days as I really didn't like the idea of her being on her own at home. In the ten days leading up to her hospital stay she hadn't been eating properly or taking her medication which was a real worry.

I decided to contact The Hawthorns to see whether she could go and stay there for the month's trial which had already been paid for and the good news was that she was able to go. However, one slight niggle was that nobody would be there to make sure she took her medication properly.

I had picked up a load of laundry at Mum and Dad's house so I did mounds of washing and ironing for them and then we went back over to the house to get Dad ready to go. I had bought him some lovely pyjamas and lounge wear and I packed all of his things, including books, medication and toiletries. With the carer's help we got him into his own car and set off for the care home. Again, it's been a beautiful day today with endless sunshine and clear blue skies. Ordinarily, I would have enjoyed the weather so much!

At the Care Home we were met by one of the staff and I said goodbye. I was so upset - it was a heart-breaking decision to make (well, actually it was my Mum's decision a few days ago) and I have to confess to crying all the way back to their house. The worst thing was remembering how he was and how horrified he would have been if I'd told him a few years ago what was going to happen to him. However, it's a short term solution and I hope very much that things can return to normal soon and the plan is for him to go to The Hawthorns with Mum after the respite care.

Back home the phone calls started from the hospital, with conflicting messages from the nurses and Junior Doctor and the Intermediate Care Team who felt Mum wasn't ready to come out because her blood pressure dropped significantly when she stood up. We had a nightmare few hours with both sides arguing and us caught in the middle. Finally, I spoke to a Junior Doctor who said she was OK to be discharged if she was going to The Hawthorns tomorrow.

Sophie and I went and picked her up at 5pm and she was brought down to the main entrance doors in a wheelchair. I was shocked when I saw her - she looked vacant and could hardly get out of the wheelchair into the car. I asked the nurse with her if she was sure she could come home and the nurse said yes.

We set off for Mum's house but it became very clear that my Mum was not with it at all. She couldn't talk properly and kept saying strange random things that worried Sophie and I very much. She was making no sense at all and the amount of medication she'd been given was another huge worry. I would have had trouble sorting it all out let alone Mum, who was very confused.

I made the decision to turn around and take her back while Sophie phoned the ward. When we arrived we were told to come up to the ward and Sophie fetched another wheelchair as there was no way she could walk. I explained to the Junior Doctor and a nurse about how she was and we were taken to a small private room to have a chat. I urged them not to discharge her as I felt she was a danger to herself and there was no care plan for her in place at The Hawthorns that would help her take her medication.

We had a very emotional chat with the staff and it was decided that Mum would stay and be assessed in the morning. Sophie and I drove home with a feeling of relief that she would be safe in hospital but I felt terrible about the whole situation and more than a little angry with the hospital for allowing her to be discharged like that.

I am just hoping that tomorrow will be better than today!