Silent Witness

I'm a fan of Silent Witness and I'm now loving Monday and Tuesday evenings, although to be fair I tend to watch both episodes on a Wednesday as I'm too intolerant to watch half and have to wait 24 hours for the final instalment.....yes, I'm that impatient!

Anyway, the episodes on 29 and 30 January 2018 were incredibly thought provoking and tackled issues close to my heart.....ensuring equality for people with additional needs.  The two episodes were entitled "One Day" and focussed around an assisted living provision for adults with additional needs.  Many issues were raised in the programme from the power carers have to the administration of medication to the role of family and GPs in supporting people in such provisions.  I could talk about this for days, weeks and months, but I'll save you from reading my thought around all of this, well for today at least.  The two main characters were Kevin and Serena.  They were in a relationship but were deeply effected by the support they received, or lack of, from the people who were paid to do so.  

The issue I wanted to touch on today was the fact that throughout the programme the people who lived in the assisted living provision were frequently spoken of as having no family, or they were unwanted, or too difficult.  I felt that for families currently exploring different living options for their loved ones, this opinion was harsh and one-sided.  For families to place a loved one in supported living, residential or nursing care it is an incredibly hard decision to make where emotions and best interest decisions are wrestled with.  Guilt, independence, freedom, love and care are all combined in this decision making.  I feel bravery too, is part of the decision making.  For the individual moving it is always ideal if it is of their choosing and at their request, however this is not always possible.  Some people have needs which are beyond the consistent management of a family unit and their behaviours and needs can have a detrimental impact on everyone under the roof, including the individual themselves.  I do not believe people place their loved ones in a care provision because they don't care, or because they believe they are not equal to them.  I feel these decisions are hard to make and brave to follow through.  The issue then is the quality of care the individual receives from their care provider........but more of that another time.

Thank you and have a lovely day x