Nearing the end

Our Rosa rugosa in the hedge is now leafless and the hips are nearly rotted away but I noticed today that the new buds are already appearing.

This is a very quick blip because I am k*******d. Hubby and I got a call from the care home where his Auntie (96) and my Mum (93) are living to say that Auntie was very poorly and they were very worried. This was at 1 o'clock this morning.
We had only just gone to bed so dressed quickly and went to the home.

Auntie was (and as I write still is) in terrific pain with spasms every 10-15 minutes. As she is very poorly, and extremely frail, it has been agreed that it is not appropriate for her to be transferred to hospital, but that she should receive pain relief at the care home where she has her friends and carers around her.

When we arrived, the carers had called 111 who dispatched 2 Marie Curie nurses to do an assessment. Unbelievably these nurses decided that she was disturbed not by pain but by the bedroom light and people around and they left at about 3 am, having not arranged for pain relief for her.

Hubby and I stayed with Auntie until just before 4 am when we went back home as there was nothing we could do and left her with the carers, one of whom sat with her till morning.

Our GP and the District nurse who visited later in the day were both quite angry as Auntie is quite obviously in a lot of pain and discomfort, and now at last morphine has been prescribed and administered.

Neither Auntie, nor my Mum want to be here any more. They have both said so forcibly on several occasions. They are both tired of living. They are both bed-bound and unable to do anything for themselves (Mum for several years). They both suffer from dementia. Neither of them wanted to end up like this - who does? And they are not alone.

It is not right that sections of society with particular views but who are not directly involved in this kind of situation should be allowed to dictate what should happen to people like Auntie and Mum. We treat our very poorly and incurable elderly in a way that we consider unthinkable to treat our livestock and pets.

It is about time we as civilised human beings started to behave with compassion towards our vulnerable elders and not allow their suffering to be prolonged.

I know this is a very contentious issue - we all have powerful feelings about this.

Rant over. I am sorry if any of you are offended by what I have said, but it is how we truly feel.