Nichola Clarkes 1/2 page case

My Mum's Story - Megan David (1927-2016) - Died in Somerset

Mum and dad lived in rural Wales. Dad died in 2004, and a few years later mum decided to moved back to the West Country, where she would be closer to my sister and other relatives. Her sister, also in Wales, planned to move to the same retirement complex as well. Mum's bungalow was sold, and the conveyancing was well underway for the purchase of a retirement apartment, close to shops, theatre, the park, and the library, in her home town. The conveyancing solicitor was a specialist in working on behalf of the elderly.
Helping mum to move was difficult because I lived in Kent and family were not as helpful as they could have been. I put all mum's furniture and belongings in storage whilst she stayed temporarily with a relative until her apartment was ready to move in to. All she had for the next few weeks was a suitcase of clothes, some toiletries, a radio, and her sudoku books.
Little did I know at that time, but mum was never to see any of those things again; no looking a photo albums together, no looking forward to unpacking the storage boxes and making her new flat into her home again. Her life history was in storage until she died; seized by Somerset adult social services, they failed in their duties as deputies, just waiting for my mother to die, and running up a storage bill to over twenty-five thousand pounds. They squandered my mother's hard-earned money, and excused themselves of all responsibility, with the usual suspects - HCPC, lawyers, CoP, SRA, Legal Ombudsman - protecting them.
Anyway, going back to what I was saying; mum stayed temporarily with a relative. There were some problems regarding the living conditions where mum was staying, and I was a bit concerned. Nothing serious, just common sense support required, and simple adaptions put in place. Mum certainly wasn't complaining. I reluctantly agreed to a relative calling in social services to help. Huge mistake, and I should have listened to my gut instinct. It all unravelled from then on ….
A social worker gave mum a formal Initial Assessment. Concluded: mild memory loss but coping well and able to make herself cup of tea, and ok for her to visit her daughter (me) in Kent as long as she was met at the train station. However, just a few weeks later she was put in a dementia care home against her wishes and without a dementia diagnosis. She was “safeguarded” from her family, and given an “advocate” to speak on her behalf because her daughters did not have her “best interests” at heart. All the usual tricks of bad social workers.
My mother was abandoned in a care home where she was highly distressed, asking me to help her and wanting to speak to her solicitor. But he had walked out on his responsibilities, stating that Mum had not signed an agreement to appoint him. Interesting though that he was happy to do all the conveyancing on this basis. He legged it when social services bullied their way in and forced Mum into the care home. He should have been protecting her!
Whilst in the care home the SW communicated with my mum using picture cards to prompt her. My mum was anxious and depressed but perfectly capable of normal conversation. She would not have wanted to speak to someone treating her like a fool. But the benefit to the social worker was in being able to illustrate to the CoP just how vulnerable and with dementia my mother was. In very recent years, my mother, a retired and highly regarded UCH nurse herself, had been looking after elderly clients in their own homes. She was upset and confused about what was happening to her. I daren't ever tell her the truth until I got her out of there. My son saw her in the care home and he broke down in tears when we had to leave her.
Next step was Power of Attorney / Deputyship via the Court of Protection at the RCJ in London. I applied for deputyship and no-one challenged my application except Somerset County Council. They were weeks late filing their papers; I wouldn’t have got away with that. They didn’t even turn up for the hearing; the judge asked me where they were! I felt optimistic that they weren’t there because now the Deputyship would be given to me. Wrong. Deputyship was given to the local authority - those who could not even be bothered to attend for the person they claimed to be safeguarding!
The manager of the care home in Somerset, where my mum was incarcerated, would not let me give my mum a walking aid. Mum came to stay with me in Kent for a few days and I bought her a walking aid. The man in the mobility shop spent ages helping mum to chose the right walker and the right height setting. He was go good. We bought the zimmer frame. When I took mum back to the care home in Somerset and mum walked to the main entrance with her new frame, the supervisor stopped us at the main door and told me that my mum had not been properly assessed for a walking aid yet! My mum said that she had waited too long and that her knee hurt. Nevertheless, I had to return home with the zimmer frame.
Next time mum came to stay, she had a nasty fall and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, by ambulance. She said to the staff that the care home she stayed in would not give her a walking frame and that was probablythe reason for her fall. I was with mum when the nurse replied, “If you think you need a walking frame, you probably do, so we shall get you one.” – simple as that! By the very next day, my local hospital had given mum a zimmer frame to keep, just like the one she had chosen, but been denied the use of, weeks earlier.
Some months later, mum had another fall at the care home in Somerset and she was taken to a small community hospital. They looked after her nicely and she made a quick recovery, but she was weaker. The care home where she had been staying would not take her back; they said she needed more care. I saw this as an opportunity to look again for a care home near me in Kent, and I immediately starting looking for one. (How wrong I was again; I never thought that the social worker would keep my mum in this community hospital for months after she was well enough to leave, but she did.)
I found the perfect care home close to where I lived in Kent. A grand old stately building with lovely gardens. Homely, friendly, and it was well-equipped to support the elderly who had their own interests, and different levels of mobility and independence. The manager, Michael Marley, was enthusiastic and so helpful, and he confirmed that the facilities at his care home included nursing support as well. He even wrote a letter to the social worker in Somerset to confirm that his care home could provide for my mother's additional needs. The SW completely ignored the letter from him and told me that the care home was not suitable, and then she put mum in another care home, still in Somerset. I was devastated, and mum went downhill fast after that. She gave up because she had nothing to live for and was isolated.
As mum lived a long way from me, I could only see her every three or four weeks. Had she been allowed to be relocated near me, I would have been able to see her a few times a week and taken her for drives into the country, and also brought her back home for a couple of hours at a time. Instead, she was left lonely and sad in yet another care home. She lost the will to live, and the social worker did not care;she just said that it was the dementia, thereby proving to me that my mum was considered to be just a waste of space.
They 'dealt' with her by putting her on End of Life Care. No food, no water. Eight days later she was dead.
They stole the last precious years of my mother’s life. Christine Livingstone, Social Worker, and Julia Ingram, Social Worker.

As told by her daughter, Nicola David.
Sunday 9th February 2020

Hi Nichola. May I post this to my FB page, please?

Absolutely you can.

Thank you, lovely.. https://www.facebook.com/carerswantcompetence/posts/500904250593598?__tn__=K-R

It’s horrendous what’s actually happening , my parents were independent up until lockdown March 2020 , both parents own there own property £250K and won post code lottery Dec 2019’, nit spending a lot out of this win . Both parents 85 years old , my mum asked would I refer dad over to memory service as dad was very forgetful , I did this Aori 2020
Then June my mum fell Sick with pneumonia, low sodium , low potassium
Hospitalised for 5 days ,mum was still poorly & recovering .
The eldest daughter of four of us offered to help me as I was the main carer who did shopping , prescriptions , appointments etc
I was grateful to this help , knowing the sister was working full time , but due to covid she was furloughed . I put a single bed in and made a bedroom up for myself to stay over as my mum recovered .
The two daughters asked to see my parents Will which I held at my house for safe keeping  . I took the Will to the sisters to view it as they both was saying it was an unfair Will ,which wasn’t the case the Will was made fairly to be equal shares between us four siblings , my parents asked that I would be LPA for both of them finances & welfare , which I didn’t register straight away ( bad advice ) as they said it only needs registering if the donor loses capacity .
I asked the sisters when they had looked over the Will to return it to me which never happened , mum was still suffering delusional behaviour , spiking temperatures , suffering UTI
I stayed most of the time to take care of my parents , the older sister stayed around 9pm until work next day , usually 9 am
One day oddly the sister turned up unusually early 10 am
Saying she was taking my mum for her hair done , I politely advised that she shouldn’t do that as my mum still not well and recovering with pneumonia the community nurse said it couid take up to eight weeks , but off she went dragging my poor mum out even though she was exhausted & frail , this daughter & her family very rarely visited my parents let alone do anything to help them practically as her excuse was she was working full time as an office manger for a local estate agents .
This particular morning the daughter asked for the key code to my parents property, I thought unusual as to why she would wave access to my parents property?mum had gone to the bathroom and I followed as the eldest daughter followed mum into the bathroom , i could hear the daughter saying to my mum who is deaf , what ever you do mum don’t tell anyone you’ve signed anything , promise !!  I carried on with all the chores around my parents property as my mum was very house proud .
Mid morning whilst my dad was having his mid morning snooze , I popped next door to thank my mums neighbour for the lovely flowers she sent my mum as a get well wish , then suddenly a car pulled up on the neighbours front and my parents two granddaughters ran up shouting do you know she’s an alcoholic & prostitute and she’s been neglecting our grandparents for years , I was in total shock & so was my mums neighbour of 36 years , asking who was they , I told her that they were my parents granddaughters , she was shocked saying that she didn’t know my mum had two granddaughters or another older daughter , as she had never seen them at my parents property all the years they have lived there .
I rang my son to tell him what had happened & I was worried about my mum going out as she wasn’t well  , I rang the police to say my parents wills had been given to the daughters and nit returned ( I didn’t tell anyone about this call )
Later on in the day my mum was still not back & I was going to be late for work at my early evening Job , I asked my son couid he sit with dad until my mum returns , my son helped out a lot with my parents with all practice things , we were very close to our parents/ grandparents always there for them .,seeing them everyday and living close by .
I was on my way to work and my son rang saying mum the police are here at my Nans they said they need to speak to you , I said what for tell them I have to go to work and ring me , no mum you  they need speak to you urgently ? I though Omg something bad as happened to my mum , or they are coming to discuss the Will which as gone missing from my parents property, when I got to my parents two officers were in my mums dining room , one of them said a serious alligation as been made from a sister , I asked which one as I have two , the oldest daughter said I pulled a knife on her early that morning and threatened her with it ? I was Gob snaked , I really thought it was a sick joke and I did say we’re they dressed in fancy dress , I couldn’t take them seriously , I was told not to come back to my parents that my mum wanted me out of her house , I felt I was the one stabbed in the heart , thinking omg what’s going on ?? This was the first of three police allegations against me , all issued with crime ref numbers ,
I contacted social services several times by email ? Phone with concerns for my Eldery parents welfare , all falling on deaf ears , and communication back from the social worker ( I believe bent ) was that my mum didn’t want any more to do with me or my son , I told him that’s fine but if anything happens to any of my parents in the near future I will hold St. Helens council responsible .,
I contacted several solicitors who couldn’t help , but one said he would help to get social services to mediate with my mum as to her sudden bizarre behaviour, suddenly changing , I was convinced my poor mum was being manipulated and coherced by the eldest evil daughter who we all knew was a narcissist and a good liar ,
The solicitor instructed a barrister for advice , her advice was if a new Will had been made which we suspected , that I couid contest the Will , I said I wasn’t there to contest a Will I want to know my parents are safe and getting cared for , as the carers , cleaners , meals on wheels , newspapers careline & window cleaner soo cancelled by the oldest daughter ,
This was the start date 22nd July 2020 of a living nightmare, august we lost my youngest only brother to cancer , a week later my poor husband had a stroke ( I believe all stress seeing me heartbroken for my parents and helpless ) as LPAs which was registered quickly got revoked , I heard by my friend any snippets of info regarding my parents & my mums good neighbour Mary kept her eye out for my parents , there were not many sightings , so I knew my parents completely isolated , I knew by my drive byes that there was no one looking after my parents welfare , I got a call from my dads sister saying my mum was taken by ambulance she had fractured her femur badly , falling in the house , mum was walking fine prior to this  , then 3 days later another call dad was in hospital with suspected stroke , i again raised safeguard with my parents GPs and social services , who never responded back , I was frustrated as I was gathering Wittness statements from twelve people who knew my parents & myself , this was time consuming , both my parents in the same hospital at whiston who would not give me any information on my parents , passwords had been put in place , then I assumed safeguards against me were also in place , this was sept -oct 2nd
My parents returned home and my concerns were making me more anxious , January 2021 all witness statements with photographs of my parents from neighbours , friends who knew the family dynamics had written these statements which then was sent to St. Helens legal team at adult social services mid January , acknowledged by  email to lattimer Lee solicitor, who over the months kept on billing me until it amounted to 14k
Nothing was happening with social services response , I was gutted as the weeks passed over into months , December i receive a call to say my parents have moved home permanently, they had moved into a recently built extension on the back of my mums oldest daughter , i couldn’t believe it , I told my friend it won’t last , let turkey & tinsell go and they will ge Back in there own adapted bungalow which they both loved , three weeks later early January my parents were back were they belonged .  
I rang my best and oldest friend in tears I had a premonition that my mum was lying in a coffin , I couldn’t cope , I couidt eat , sleep or concentrate on batting as I had been purposely kept away from seeing my mum who I was very close to , my mum was my friend we went everywhere together . True advice was from many just let social serivices don’t there job ,
Well on 30th March I woke up made a rash decision to go and Knock on my parents door with my daughter in law as Wittness , I sat in my car whilst my daughter in law knocked on the door of my Parents , my mum answered the door and did not recognise straightaway and thought she was a nurse , my daughter in law was invited in by my mum , and my daughter in law told her that your Jill in the car , do you want see her and talk to her , my mum was overjoyed yes yes bring her in , I was met with a very frail , underweight , tearful , nervy mum , we just hugged like nothing before , my poor mum now walking with a zimmer and frail , she asked why did I fall out with her and my Dad , I explained I had never fallen out with anyone , and had been fighting behind the scenes for both of them , I had visited Lloyds Bank to warn them of suspected fraud on there accounts six times , mum told me that they didn’t get bank statements because of the virus .
Mum asked couid I take her to her Bank to check on my dads accounts , off we went to Lloyds st Helen’s branch  ,mum requested her and my dads bank statements, which were emptied over a period of five months , large amounts of money were transferred to a builder , amounting £35k
We was told to go to the police to report the money that had gone missing , we reported the fraud and got crime ref number , went to a locksmiths to get the locks all changed  ,,the wicked sisters turned up with the granddaughters with police with another allegation to add to the list , this one was I was holding my Parents hostage in there property , the police officers came into my parents property to speak alone with my mum , who told them she didn’t want any of those family members entering her properly, so I was so relived , but very sad at seeing the state my payers were left in , unwashed clothes , the bungalow filthy , mum had lost 1 1:2 stone in nine months , and looked old , dad looked sad and drawn , it was heartbreaking to pick up the pieces and put the puzzle together
Which I gathered all information , my parents medical records , GP records , the attendance File from the Will company who I found out was friends with my mums Eldest daughter & did consultancy at tree Estate agents , then a witness to my mums Will was my mums granddaughters friend , who took my mum ten days post hospital with pneumonia to her house on the 17th July 2020 making new LPAs with the eldest daughter and her two daughters as attorneys who knew nothing about my parents Health & welfare , they got my mum who didn’t know or remember making a Will or changing LPAs , mum had written her husband of 60 years out of his own Will & property , my brother who was alive at this time was written out and myself . Costing £3:600 on my dads debit card was paid this whopping fee
I’m the process my parents bungalow was being gifted at in under market value of £100k to the youngest disabled daughter and her apartment was sold in the hope that she would live happily in my parents bungalow ( leaving them homeless & derivation of assets ) all together £55k was emptied out of my parents separate accounts , no items we’re bought for my parents , items.we’re stolen from my parents including a new divan bed , clothing , Ornaments etc
Mum was allocated an investigator who said he would leave no stone unturned and that this crime of elder abuse on the increase, it was ,
I thought faith restored the oldest daughter going to jail  ,  3 moths down the line after an intensive interview recorded ( my mum as capacity )! And wasted the daughters prosecuted . A visit from the social worker ( bent ) told me it’s hard to prove abuse & neglect , I said it’s a good job I’ve documented everything with photographs, videos ,,he was smirking
My mum had revoked her LPA due to fraud & theft
My mum sppointed her own solicitor to update her Will , appoint myself Back as her Attorney , and because my Dad as a diagnoses of dementia we applied for COP , this was May 2020 we are still waiting , ????
Over the months I’ve been with my parents and bern thrown into a full time caring role with no support , my mum was walking on a broken hip for months , crippled with pain , I took my mum three X-rays all nhs missed my mums broken hip , I paid private to find out that mums hip was broken , sept 2021 my mum was admitted to hospital were they were hoisting my mum for three weeks , three operations cancelled ,, then the doctor orthopaedic had written on Day 5! Not. to operate on this woman she as dementia , send her home make her  comfortable,,they had no intentions to ever operate on my mum , ( I discovered this through accessing my mums Medicai records ) also noted COPD none of which my mum as , I got. the assessor. Who. Assessed my mums capacity. Before making her Will & LPA to asses my mums capacity which he did , mum passed. They very next day mum had full hip replacement which was successful, mum walking better and pain free , but whilst I had mum laid up awaiting this operation , I asked social service to help dad get into respite ( the worst ever thing I’ve done , I was very naive ) dad went in for. A week they advised  not to see dad straightaway and let him settle , I did see dad day 7. He looked well , but was unhappy at were he was staying , I assured dad would come home soon , dad had his own mobile to contact myself , his sister and my son anytime , dad had mild dementia , he played dominoes  , was happy content , a good sense of humour , dad did have poor mobility and needed his zimmer , I took photos of my dad on this visit . Thursday 16th sept ..,, Friday 17 th at 11pm
Dad rang me on his mobile saying he doesn’t know what’s happening to him, he said he’s been taken in a lift , he sounded distressed , I Asked dad put the carer on the phone , the carer said your dad confused , I said he sounds distressed to me and he’s usually in bed 10 pm as dad very routine , I said hope he settles , I was really anxious after recieved that call , I could hardly sleep , I contemplated to just get dad out of there and home , I would have to pay for carers whilst I visited my mum . Next morning 6:30am I’m told an ambulance was called for dad ?  I thought I bet he’s fallen , but they said dad very wheezy ? Asked if they gave dad inhalers , yes , I said dad wasn’t wheezy when I last spoke to dad last night , dad was taken to A&E 7:45 am
When I arrived to see dad 11am he looked completely dehydrated , his lips parched , skin dry , eyed sunken , dad was confused had no memory of the care home , calling me , being in a lift ?
He was sent in with no hearing aids , no glasses , no denture , no regular medications or inhalers , I was furious , I took pics of dad throughout the day , dad had no observations done , he had no IV fluids , no nebs , no oxygen, I stayed to hydrate dad with fluids such he gulped , I ordered dad soup , tea made sure he drank , which dad always did independently.
I asked what dad was being treated for possible cellulitis ( no sign of this )
Chest infection , dad was wheezy , they said dad was going to be. Admitted to a ward when a bed available , I was at whiston hospital in Between visiting my mum who is vulnerable and deaf , and I went back the the care home to collect my dads Aids and take them to dad , I made sure dad was settled , had fluids , access to buzzer , took medication dad needed . Later that evening about 11:30 pm
I rang to see which ward my dad was sent too , only to be told Dad was stil in A&E , I was worried about him and asked my son couid he drive me there a 5 mile drive away , he did  as long as I’m only a flying visit as it was late , i went into A&E around  12:45 was told a very rude nurse my dad not there he’s been moved , asked couid she please find out we’re , off she went
And I went Back to the last place I had been with dad at 6pm
Cubicle 17 , the door was closed , so I peeped in and I was shocked my dad hanging out of bed , no covers on him , flat on his back , no access to buzzer , tablets untouched , no access to water I left , I
Dad was in distress , saying Jill get me out of this place for god says help me , I got dad sat upright , went to get wheelchair and put dad wrapped up and ran like the clappers , dad was being further dehydrated and neglected I was followed out to the car park by two big nurses who took my son’s registration and shouted they were reporting me to police , I said back funny that I’m also reporting staff on A&E for will-full neglect , and I’m acting in my dads best interests to remove him from danger , got dad home settled , warm drinks , he was relived & so happy , dad was so made up be I hid own home and warn bed ,
Next day a call from hospital social services that a safeguard as gone in with a report , I told him the reasons I removed my dad from A&E , I tried to get an on call doctor from 111 to see dad , no avail all day Sunday ,later that evening  around 9pm police van and two police officers looking for dad a presumed , I didn’t answer  Monday I rang dads GP to get antibiotics  as dad continued to wheezy, we have home cameras up around my mums property , Monday two frailty nurses called ( I wouldn’t open door ) a police van later , Tuesday two frailty doctors called ( I wouldn’t let them I) later a police van , and two social workers , I did not engage with any of these services
Wednesday dad seemed worse throwing up water and wheezy he had fluids on his lungs , I tried physio , all kinds ,
I took dad to another hospital outside the county wrrr dad was treated well in A&E I felt I couid trust them to take care of my dad , little did I know they broken my dad right down with DNAR in place , DOLS  10 weeks dad was tortured NBM , saying dad had aspiration pneumonia, i though my dad is going to get euthanised in this hell hole wigan Infirnary as men were on death pathways all around us , it was harrowing to witness , I fought to get dad out as he was being chemically Coshed with lorazepam, I instructed a solicitor to help get dad released , which he was but the social worker ( mr bent ) said dad needed 24 hrs care , hoisting , two to transfer , and a nursing home found for dad , both myself & my mum unhappy about the arrangements , Dad was discharged mid November 2021 we was only allowed once a week visiting for 30mins , it was so callous & cruel that this was allowed to happen , and the Injustice was that the Eldest daughter still held LPA on dad even though she emptied his bank account of 24 k and left him with u paid bills , court orders , 34 pence in his account , not enough money for care or funeral cost , it was sickening .
The police said nothing they could do as there wasn’t enough evidence , I asked for a review , nothing , a complaint regarding social services who did nothing but covet there failings up , OPG investigations amounted to nothing , no one couid believe what these two wicked daughters had done and walked away with leaving my parents abused , we have just been told it’s a civil matter
I thought the worst is over , it had only Just begun both parents were targeted by local authorities to get there property , mums had three capacity test and would not have an independent one organised by OPG , I try every day to keep my mum safe , as my mum was bombarded with calls daily & unannounced by frailty nurses , my mum as chest infection and now GP insisting she is admitted to hospital , my mum flatly refused as she as witnessed herself the abuse & cruelty from the nurses .
This as been an horrific journey that I’m
Still on knowing the services I thought was there to protect us Such as police , OPG , NHS , social services all are liars , and corrupt to the very core , elder abuse and abuse in society is rife from these organisations and state institutions . I’m trying my upmost to keep my mum safe from these monsters , my Dad is still in the care home unable to visit since 18th December when the care home went full lockdown with covid hoax
I will continue my fight for my dad to get him home & justice for my parents and my family