The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Family’ s pain and anger over death of 86-year-old after care home failures
The family of a former professional boxer have had five complaints upheld by the Care Inspectorate over the care of their father in Aberdeen.
The relatives of 86-yearold Lawson Thain, known as Joe, made a complaint about Kingswells Care Home following a fall at the home, which ultimately led to his death.
Daughter Donna Ewen, 55, described a catalogue of failings by the care home.
Mr Thain, who suffered from dementia, had 20 falls in 10 months at the home. When they finally got to see him, amid the pandemic, he was unkempt with overgrown hair and nails, and he had severe ulcers in his mouth.
After his last fall at the care home in January 2021, in circumstances that have not yet been fully established, Mr Thain was hoisted into a chair and made to sit for more than four hours before any medical assistance was sought.
He had suffered a broken hip. Two months later, in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, he died from pneumonia.
The family, who had raised concerns about a previous care home, were reluctant to place Mr Thain in Kingswells. But after a five-year stay at the Royal Cornhill Hospital, he moved into the home in 2019.
Assurances were given over the high standard of one-to-one care, and the support every 30 minutes that he would receive.
In a report, the Care Inspectorate said Mr Thain “did not experience safe and effective falls prevention and falls management”.
It upheld the complaints on nutrition, personal care and grooming, inadequate safekeeping of his personal belongings and inadequate communication relating to his health, welfare and safety.
Mrs Ewen said she was “devastated” that what was offered by the home in the beginning was in no way what was provided.
“Even though my mum saw my dad every day except a Sunday, you still have to place your trust in a care provider,” said Mrs Ewen.
“Bon Accord Care failed in their basic duties – poor oral hygiene that meant my dad couldn’t eat because of an ulcerated mouth.
“He lost nearly two stones in three weeks, leaving him to fall in a corridor and break his hip, suggesting that the family were inventing missing personal items after he died. It goes on. The fact they wouldn’t properly answer our questions about the circumstances of his demise, forcing us to resort to the regulator, only prolonged our torture.”
She continued: “We raised concerns with the Care Inspectorate over the prescription of morphine and midazolam without our knowledge. Our complaint was upheld. Why did we not know? This is end-of-life medication – it is simply not acceptable.”
She added: “Complaints about the care of my late brother (Lawson Thain), a schizophrenic, at the hands of the NHS Grampian and his GP were upheld by the ombudsman in 2018. We are left wondering – does lightning really strike twice?”
A spokeswoman for Bon Accord Care, which runs Kingswells Care Home, said: “Action has been taken to improve the support and oversight to services, including increased training, review of record keeping and risk assessments.
“We take prevention of falls very seriously and have reviewed our strategy for preventing and dealing with this in line with national falls guidance. The safety and wellbeing of the people we support is always our highest priority.”