A heartbroken family has spoken of their desperate bid to get their mum out of hospital.
Jacqueline Clark, who suffers from Alzheimer's, has been in Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride for the last six months after enduring a massive stroke while recovering from Covid-19. It has left the 68-year-old unable to speak and paralysed down her right side, Lanarkshire Live reports.
A delayed discharge means Jacqueline has allegedly been left languishing in the hospital for the past 10 weeks, despite needing no further treatment. Her family claim that they have been informed a care package is not currently available for her complex needs.
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The gran-of-three's daughter, Jennifer Connelly, has spoken of her anxiety as she fights to bring her mum home.
The 34-year-old said: "On March 18 mum had a massive stroke whilst sleeping. That left her paralysed down her right side and left with no verbal communication.
"The doctors decided there was no further treatment she would receive in hospital and she was given a discharge date of July 4. That was 10 weeks ago now and we are still no further forward to get her home."
Jacqueline, who lives at home with her husband Ian, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's five years ago. She now requires the help of four carers but her family has been told there is no package to make this possible.
With this week reaching the six month mark since Jacqueline was taken into hospital, her family fear her mental state will deteriorate the longer she remains there.
"My dad, myself and my younger brother just want her home," Jennifer added.
"Her mental health is deteriorating rapidly. She gets very confused and anxious.
"We're struggling to get her to engage with us and she spends most our visiting times upset. It’s heartbreaking - no family should have to go through this."
While Jennifer praised the work of the "incredible" NHS staff caring for her mum, she said she "can't understand" why Jacqueline is still taking up a hospital bed when she 'should be at home with her family'. Jennifer and her brother Alastair, 32, both work full-time and dad Ian, 66, relies on the support of carers due to the level of care Jacqueline needs.
She said: "We have the garage converted into a room that will be suitable for her and for carers to come in and support mum, we just need a discharge date to stop her deteriorating any further.We are in contact with the hospital and social work daily and are unfortunately getting nowhere.
"We just don't get why there is no support for her. How long can this go on for?
"We just want our mum home where she belongs."
Soumen Sengupta, director of health and social care for South Lanarkshire, said: “We have been contending with unprecedented demand over recent months and are operating at full capacity right across the area. Our community teams and hospital colleagues continue to work closely together to provide safe patient and service-user care, and will only discharge patients when it is appropriate to do so.
“Unfortunately, this extreme pressure on our services can mean there are occasions when we are unable to safely discharge patients to their homes as quickly as they, their families or we would like.”
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