Carer suspended for giving dog heart tablets to pensioner with Alzheimer’s and heart disease
The bungle was discovered by Barbara Cartwright’s daughter Julie Birchenough when she saw the carer pick up the pills
A CARER has been suspended after giving a pensioner with Alzheimer’s and heart problems her dog’s medication.
The female carer mistook 82-year-old Barbara Cartwright’s tablets for the pills a vet a prescribed for Lhasa Apso Jessie’s kennel cough and heart disease.
This was despite the dog’s medication being clearly labelled.
The bungle was discovered when Barbara’s daughter Julie Birchenough, 52, visited and was horrified to see the carer pick up Jessie’s pills when it was time for her mum’s medication.
Julie said: “I was upset and called the care company and told them that their employee was giving dog tablets to my mum.
“When I went back into the room the carer was upset about what she had done and apologetic.
“We called mum’s GP and he checked her and the tablets out. She is lucky that the dog is so small and the tablets aren’t a large dose.
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“The more worrying thing was that my mum was not getting the tablets she should have been taking.”
Olive Care, which provides the carer, has contacted Julie, of Urmston, Manchester, to apologise.
She said: “Luckily mum appears to have suffered no lasting harm and isn’t too upset. She even joked she was feeling a little bit ruff.”
Olive Care did not reply to requests for a comment.