– I feel that Tellef has been on a kind of “carousel of hell”, and that he was thrown off at speed. He was even more involved than he was when we sent him into that hellish system. The quote is from Helene, one of Tellef’s five older sisters. She and the other sisters often shared thoughts about their little brother in a WhatsApp group. When this audio message was sent, Tellef had arrived at Ullern health center. During the stay, the family became more and more worried. – What he experienced at Ullern was neglect. It would have been so easy to see what he needed in terms of care. But no one had the ability to see it, says Camilla Dannevig to news. She believes the little brother needed far closer follow-up than he received at the municipal health centre. – He was like a child, and it is very painful to see children lying screaming. Tellef was a keen Røa supporter. Photo: Albin Pettersen Several cases news has discussed the conditions at health centers and Ullern health centers in particular in several cases. One of those who has come forward is former first state prosecutor Lasse Qvigstad (76). – I was terrified that I would lie there and die without anyone noticing, Qvigstad told news last week. Tellef’s family also talks about insecurity. But unlike Qvigstad, it would turn out that Tellef should never have been in an ordinary short-term position. Health councilor Robert Steen has stated that an external investigation of the conditions at the health center will be started. Attpåklatten Tellef was an avid Røa supporter, and the attpåklatten in a group of siblings that also included as many as five older sisters. Initially, he managed by himself, lived in his own apartment and went to sporting events himself. But four years ago, Alzheimer’s disease crept up. People with Down’s have a higher risk of developing dementia. Eventually he had to move into a care home. After an epileptic seizure this summer, he was admitted to Ullevål hospital, and then transferred to Ullern health centre. Camilla says the little brother at this time was quite unwell. – He needed someone who was there all the time, one-to-one offers, or someone who watched over him. He needed a night watchman who was close at all times. We got the impression that it was at Ullern health centre, she says. On 14 November this year, Tellef died, aged 50. Photo: Private – Utrygg After a short time, the family understood that this was the wrong place for Tellef. They believe Ullern health center was unable to take care of Tellef as he needed. – The day after he arrived, Tellef was very unhappy. He cried and said that someone tried to kill him. We don’t think anyone tried to mistreat him, but he got a very unsafe feeling. We realized that here they do not have the capacity to look after him as they should. The sister believes that Tellef did not need so much medical follow-up, but that someone was with him, and that he needed help with grooming and going to the toilet. This was reinforced by the dementia diagnosis, the sister believes. She also reacts to a lack of cleanliness, and points out, among other things, that faeces stains on a sofa should not have been washed away. – It wasn’t cleaning, there was beard cream in the cups, says Camilla Dannevig. She says the family several times found Tellef screaming in the room. – He had some very traumatic experiences of being alone and abandoned. Emotionally, he was like a child, and it is very painful to see a child lying there screaming without help. The family of Tellef Dannevig reacts to the fact that faeces on the sofa in Tellef’s room should not have been washed away. Photo: Privat Claims the district will use up purchased places The districts in Oslo municipality buy places in health centers for six months at a time. These are normal standard places for short-term stays and rehabilitation. It is the Nursing Home Agency in Oslo municipality that supplies places, the district orders and chooses which patients are to be placed where. Helge Jagmann, director of the Nursing Home Agency in Oslo Municipality Neither the Nursing Home Agency nor the health centers have any influence on how the districts dispose of their places, or which patients are placed in the places. Helge Jagmann is director of the Nursing Home Agency in Oslo municipality. He says that the districts are often not interested in buying an extra special place, with extra follow-up, if they have already paid for a regular place. – This may mean that patients do not get the best offer, but a more standardized offer which may mean a greater risk of failure, says Jagmann. Jagmann points out that the short-term places at Ullern health center, of the type Tellef got, are not specialized for dementia patients. – It is designed as ordinary short-term places, but used as rolling places for people with severe dementia, he says. – There are patients who should not have been there? – Yes, we see a number of cases of that, says Jagmann. According to the Nursing Home Agency, patients with a diagnosis of dementia should not be placed in a nursing home. Nevertheless, they see that 80 per cent of patients at health centers have cognitive impairment. Acknowledging failure District director Kristin Nilsen in Vestre Aker district says Tellef ended up in the wrong type of place at Ullern health centre. The district will now investigate why this happened. – We see in hindsight that together with the hospital authority we should have made a different assessment than we did. He should have had a closer follow-up than what he received in an ordinary place. I want to apologize to Tellef’s relatives, says Nilsen. She claims they had no information at the time of placement that indicated he should have a special place. Nilsen rejects that it is more profitable for the district to use places that have already been purchased. – Since the summer, those places have been filled up. We have patients in hospital waiting for those places, so there is no available capacity in the short-term places, says Nilsen. Ullern health center also apologizes for the treatment Tellef received. – I really have to regret that we were unable to deliver services that made them feel safe and that we were unable to look after Tellef in a good way, says acting head of institution Mona Kjekshus at Ullern health centre. Mona Kjekshus is acting head of institution at Ullern Health Center Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news She says it is always their goal that the patients who come there should feel safe. – We see that earlier in the stay we should have put in a permanent guard, especially on night duty, because it has been documented that he was quite anxious at night. Why wasn’t it washed when patients are here? – I want to apologize. This is in our procedures. We have cleaning every day on weekdays, and if a spill is discovered outside of this, our employees who discover it must remove it. Read: External investigation of health center Tellef Dannevig was the only boy in a group of six siblings. Photo: Private Death at Solfjellshøgda On 14 November this year, Tellef died, aged 50. He had then ended up at Solfjellshøgda health center. There, according to the family, he received good care and someone who looked after him all the time. The family is happy that he had a dignified end to his life. – It was very good that we had that time at Solfjellshøgda. Horror and horror if it was in Ullern, where he had a bad last time, says Camilla. Hello, do you have any tips or input on this matter? Feel free to contact me.
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Tellef (50) had Down’s syndrome and dementia – got a standard seat – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
