Numbers are not my friends. They never have been.

They move around when I try to write them down or remember them, and if there are too many to deal with I swear they pretty much run around in my head, on paper or on the screen.

However, I seem to have swapped washing and dressing Mum for an influx of numbers that I can’t hide from.  Some I’ve got my head around.  Some I get up at 4.30am to write down on pieces of a4 paper to stop them from going round and round my head. And most recently some have made me outright angry.  This is a true story and a tale to remind you that even if numbers are not your friends, it is really important not to ignore them:

Mum was moved a couple of weeks ago from her bed on the nursing unit (the only bed available in July) to the dementia unit.  This was a move down one floor.

A few days before I was emailed and asked to confirm in writing the change to Mum’s fees.

I think most people know that care homes charge a shit load of money.  I don’t know if you’ve watched ‘Riot Women’ (Side note:  If you haven’t and are my sort of age – spitting distance of 50 – or older, male or female, I recommend it.  I’ve never cared about a group of fictional characters as much) – if you have, in pretty much the first scene, the character mentions her mum’s home is £5k a month and her brother goes nuts.  Let me tell you, they are getting a BARGAIN.  So anyway, they charge a shit load but short of packing Mum off to Yorkshire (where Riot Women is set) for the cheaper fees, we don’t have much choice.

So the Care Home business person asked me to confirm I was happy with the change, the day before Mums move, which should have been a fair sized decrease.  Only it was around half the decrease I expected.  I had a think and this is pretty much what happened:

Me: The figure you quote would suggest that the 6.5% increase due in April next year is being applied now.  Please could you advise?

Them:  Ah yes. The increase due in April has already been applied.

Me: Why? It’s October.

Them: It’s what we do.  Anyone who moves in or moves within the home from October pays the April increase early.

Me: Why?  Why would you expect me to agree to pay additional fees for 6 months?  You also haven’t written this down anywhere or told me it would happen.

Them: Oh.  Would you like us to request a price reduction from Head Office?

Me: No, as it’s not a price reduction.  Please request with Head Office that we pay the current fees for the dementia care until April and then increase in line with all other current residents.

<<<12 days and a number of emails to ask where we are later…>>>

Them: Approval has been granted

I can’t help thinking that if I’d responded without thinking, or if I’d run away from the numbers as I’d have preferred, or if I’d simply just trusted that businesses are all reasonable, we’d be paying 6.5% more on top of the shit load of money we already pay for six months that we shouldn’t have.  And I wonder how many people have done exactly that.  And that is what makes me outright angry.

So remember:  even if numbers are not your friends, it is really important not to ignore them.

And here is a photo of a flying Percy as even with numbers around, who can’t be uncheered by a flying cocker spaniel?