Not a bad day at all. Mum ate a little for supper. She didn't have her bath. We'll try again tomorrow. She was complaining a little bit about feeling really unwell. The trouble is she can hardly walk and she doesn't like that. I tell her that at 86 she can expect for things to go wrong sometimes and she can't expect to run about as she did when she was younger. It is sad to see her shuffling and struggling to get from her bedroom to the bathroom. I made sure that she had the bedroom right next to the bathroom so it is almost as good as being ensuite.
One of the problems is that she went to bed almost 30 years ago when there was nothing wrong with her claiming to be desperately ill and wanting everyone to run around after her. She even had a stick which she would bang on the ceiling to get attention. She's spent so much time in bed that her muscles don't work very well because she hasn't used them for so long. She's a huge contrast to my father who used to exercise every day and didn't want anyone to do anything for him. She doesn't find it ironic that he has passed away and she's still here over two years later after years and years of him running around looking after her.
There is a lot I need to add about my father's last few months and how both my parents have been failed by the Social Services/National Health Service etc. This is, of course, quite common with older people. Every so often there is an outcry in a newspaper or on the TV and people pay lip service to it but nobody does anything. They don't seem to realise that everybody is going to get old (unless they pass away sooner of course) and that the vast majority of the population will need help when they get older. Not everyone will be in a position to care for their parents so they end up at the mercy of the services provided by the State - many of which are very poor and an absolute disgrace.
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