When a loved one is in need of care, it’s natural to want what’s best for them but to want them close by as well. Unfortunately, achieving both is not always simple, and a couple in Scotland is currently dealing with a lot of stress due to this exact situation.
John Russell, 79, is in need of 24-hour support after suffering a stroke more than a year ago. He and his wife, Teresa, live in a rural area where the kind of support he needs is reportedly not easy to find or arrange.
So, they’re currently facing a devastating possibility: John might be sent to a care home that is 122 miles from where they live. Teresa had thought she would be able to take care of him at home after his 16 months in the hospital.
However, she’s reportedly been told that there are too many logistical challenges, making a care home in Edinburgh, Scotland, a much more suitable option. Sadly, the fact that this might be their best option really worries her.
Teresa said her husband’s health has worsened, which extended his time in the hospital after his stroke.
She spoke to the BBC about what is going on. Her husband first entered the hospital last April. While there, his health began to decline and he now uses a feeding tube and struggles to walk and talk.
Teresa still hoped that after he was discharged from the hospital, his care could be managed at their home in Oban, Scotland. But apparently, she’s been told that finding the type of 24-hour support that her husband needs might be too difficult.
A local health service called Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (ABHSCP) reportedly told Teresa that finding proper care can be logistically complicated in more remote areas.
The health service also explained the issue.
ABHSCP did not comment on this case specifically, but a spokesperson shared some details about why someone might need to receive care so far away from home. “When someone is ready to leave hospital, our aim is to support them to return home or, where that is not possible, to move to a care setting that meets their needs as close to home and family as we can,” a spokesperson told the publication.
The spokesperson added that this can be especially “challenging” in “remote and rural communities” and when people are in need of “24-hour support.” They also said, “Where no local option is available, alternatives are discussed with the person and their family.”
But Teresa doesn’t think the alternative sounds feasible.
She and her husband celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary while he was in the hospital. She can’t imagine being 122 miles away from her husband of 50 years. “When you’ve been married for 50 years, you don’t want your husband in Edinburgh and you in Oban,” she told the publication.
The idea of him being sent to a care home in Edinburgh also scares her because it would be logistically challenging for her. “I would need to take two trains, I couldn’t take my Zimmer frame and everything else I need,” she explained. “It just frightens me they’re talking about that.”
At this point, Teresa simply misses her husband, and she’s “tired.” At the very least, she wants to have him close to home, even if it means spending more time in the hospital. “This talk about putting him in a nursing home in Edinburgh just wouldn’t work for me,” she said.
It’s unclear whether any other options might be available for them, but it sounds like the discussions about care homes have made an already difficult situation even more distressing for the couple.
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