Nurses agency story

Read our story about what it can be like to use a nurses agency.

To give you an idea about what it’s like to receive care, we’ve talked to Ted and Muriel who used a nurses agency after they were involved in a car accident.

Former teachers Ted and Muriel always refused to let the fact that they were in their 80s to stand in the way of their sporty outdoor lifestyle.

Ted played football, rugby and cricket, Muriel loved tennis and badminton and they both played bowls.

However, all that changed in April 2005.

They were involved in a bad car accident, Ted received four fractures to his right leg and Muriel suffered from head injuries, which led to brain damage.

Between them, the couple were treated in six different hospitals and then stayed in separate care homes before coming back to their own home in September, five months later.

Ted’s leg was almost back to normal, although he still needed the aid of a stick.

But sadly, because of her brain injuries, Muriel’s short-term memory was practically non-existent.

This meant that their busy, active life seemed to be over, because Ted had to care for Muriel 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Funnily enough, she could remember events that had happened years and years ago,” said Ted, “things that we’d both forgotten.

“But she couldn’t remember what she’d done yesterday, or even something that had occurred only a few minutes ago.”

Since then, Muriel has improved enormously and both of them agree it is mainly due to the services of Sue, a nurse who visits them twice a week.

Sue is paid for out of the Wrights’ insurance, which they claimed on after the accident.

Their insurers arranged for them both to be assessed by a consultant neuro-psychologist, as well as a physiotherapist, so that their needs could be met.

“Once the financial side was sorted out, my son found Sue, through a nurses agency,” said Ted.

“As soon as Sue walked in the very first time, we both instantly felt that we liked her, and so that was that.

“Now we both look forward to her visits – me, because it gives me a break from looking after Muriel, and Muriel because she enjoys Sue’s company so much.”

Sue’s role with Muriel is known as “rehabilitation care”. She’s not required to dispense medicines.

Her main role is to give Muriel attention, and stimulate her thinking processes, to help the brain and its memory to rejuvenate itself.

Sue helps Muriel to get back into simple household tasks again, like cooking simple meals, ironing and flower arranging. She also takes her out.

“They go together on visits to garden centres, or out for walks in park,” said Ted.

“Sometimes they’ll just sit in a cafe and have a coffee but, most importantly, Sue spends a lot of time just talking to Muriel, and listening to her.

“That, in my opinion, is helping her the most.

“We don’t expect miracles at our age, and it’s going to be slow progress anyway.

“But Muriel’s improved by leaps and bounds since Sue has been to visit us and all of her doctors say that she’s well ahead of the usual recovery rate.

“I think we have Sue to thank for that.”

Ted and Muriel are now both hoping that they’ll be well enough to return to the bowls green when the season opens again in the summer.