Proved helpful by JLR2 from UK site

[Strontium Green]

JLR2
Proved helpful
« on: 15 Feb 2021 10:03AM »

The other day my sister phoned to ask if there was anything I might be able to do to help get my 88 year old Dad vaccinated at home against Covid19, as my sister and Dad live in Glasgow and me in the Highland's we were not sure if there was anything I could do but at least we could try.

My sister gave me the phone number of her local MSP (member of the Scottish Parliament)  having explained she had tried the number but was constantly being put through to an answering/message taking machine. I phoned and left a rather sharp message about how it was very stressful for my sister as she feared my Dad might be missed from the vaccine roll out even though she was seeing Nicola Sturgeon on the telly daily boasting about how many in my Dad's grouping that had been vaccinated,99.8%. And of how when my sister had phoned the GP's surgery they simply referred her to the Greater Glasgow Health Board and their number just rang out. I also mentioned that though I was no longer living in Glasgow my Dad was and that was the reason for my phoning even though not a constituent.

Within an hour of my phone call to the MSP's number I had a call back from a guy working in the MSP's office promising that they would use the hotline number they had to the Health Board and arrange for my Dad to get his vaccination at home, he went on to explain it might take a couple of days for this to be organised. True to his word he did use the hotline he referred to and my Dad received his first dosage of the vaccine yesterday. So whilst it'll still take some three weeks for the vaccine to become effective it has helped relieve some of the stresses my sister is having and for me the worrying if my Dad had his vaccination.

I can only but hope there are not elderlies out there who do not have family around to organise things in the way my sister has had. Many elderlies still want to lead as independent a life as they can which sees me hoping that it will occur to all GP surgeries to ensure those folk are not forgotten and have their vaccinations.
« Last Edit: 15 Feb 2021 02:28PM by JLR2 »

[Strontium Green]

ditchdwellers

• Charter Member
• Hero Member

Re: Proved helpful
« Reply #1 on: 15 Feb 2021 12:21PM »

This is often one of my concerns JLR2.
When my dad was terminally ill, my mum went to pieces and it was down to my sister and I to fight for the care he deserved and needed. It mainly fell to me as I'm more aware of the system than my sister and she had to work whilst I could be at the hospital most of the time to constantly nag the doctors and nurses. I dread to think what would have happened if my sister and I hadn't been there to fight for what we knew his wishes were, and adequate pain management.


I really feel for those who don't have close family to fight their corner when they are no longer able to do this themselves.



JLR2

• Hero Member

Re: Proved helpful
« Reply #2 on: 15 Feb 2021 02:39PM »

My sister was in a similar position to yours DD in that she was having to cancel folks appointments with her business so as to do what she could to avoid missing any incoming calls to do with the vaccination, that on top of looking after her partner who is also quite disabled himself.

I was reading on the Guardian's webpages (well it is free) a story from a French politician about how the UK's roll out of the vaccination is not all it appears to be as many European countries have given more people both vaccination dosages by comparison to the UK. I agree with the French interpretation of what constitutes a vaccinated person, that being both dosages having been given.