Can carers give supplements

[Dramlouie]

My elderly Mum who has vascular dementia has always taken supplements. But now she needs carers, more to make sure she has meals and to make sure she doesnt fall, her short term memory is affected and she gets a bit confused sometimes. We have changed care company and this new one is insisting that only drugs in blister packs can be given by the carers. Mum takes rivaroxaban since she had a DVD after having a pacemaker fitted last summer and levothyroxine for hypothyroid. The carers have been giving all her drugs together despite me saying that levo should be given with water before food and rivaroxaban with food. She also takes senna in the evening. The pharmacy havent put instructions on the packs. Her endocrinologist has given her a private prescription for T3 which I have to buy from abroad as the NHS wont provide this. Despite the NHS endocrinologists letter and copy of prescription because it isnt dispensed by the chemist they wont put it into blister packs and so the carers wont give it to Mum. I have told the doctors that Mum takes supplements but because she is having carers I dont need to drive 24 miles every day to see her and give her the supplements. For low thyroid and as directed by a naturopath my Mum should be taking extra selenium, Vit D3, vit k2, zinc, and other supplements to support the thyroid. Even cranberry to help prevent her from having more UTIs wont be given by the carers. I am really struggling to help Mum and on her notes it says she isnt suitable for medication. The carers wont take her for a walk because the doctor deemed that her weakness is due to dementia so wouldnt refer her to physio, occupational therapy, or the falls prevention team so that they can do a falls assessment which would allow the carers to take Mum for a walk up her road or even around her flat small garden. So now Mum is only able to walk about 30 yards whereas last year before the pacemaker procedure we were walking nearly 2 miles. She has deteriorated in the hands of professionals and the law and regulations and I feel I am bashing my head against a brick wall fighting to get help. There are numerous supplements that can help dementia and at least slow it down. I give them to Mum when I visit but Mum should have them on a regular basis. The afternoon I visit and the next day is good for Mum and she has much more energy and even reads the newspaper. Without them the carers have difficulty persuading her to get out of bed and often leave her in bed till the afternoon call. Is there any way around this, are we deemed to not carry on with our wishes and fall into the grips of the NHS. She has shelves of natural health books and still has an account with a supplement company in her name to prove her past thoughts on supplements. She has been to a professional naturopath who recommended the supplements to help support her thyroid and dementia which could be brain fog related to low thyroid. Any suggestions would be welcome.

[jeffcobb Ambassador]

While this won't help, my caregiver grows all of my supplements....(evil grin). In fact I dread the day when she no longer can, because that's the day I will stop living and merely be surviving, waiting out the end.