The 101 year old mother of a friend of mine has been cared for, for many years,by her single daughter. Yesterday, untypically, the daughter left the house leaving her mother alone. The family alerted the police who initiated a major search. This morning her body was found and no other person seems to have been involved.
Caring for someone with dementia or any kind of long term caring is the hardest and most stressful work we can do. This tragic story highlights the vital need for the work AS does to support carers.
For me both as an former carer but more particularly as someone who has dementia I do not want my family to suffer stress and pain because of me. In the discussio0n around assisted dying one of the reasons always given is that people with dementia should not be pressured by family wishes. It is not about that. How many of us would willingly save our family the pain of caring for us at the end of our lives when our lives will have so little meaning. This is a difficult and painful subject but we must not dodge it.
Caring for someone with dementia or any kind of long term caring is the hardest and most stressful work we can do. This tragic story highlights the vital need for the work AS does to support carers.
For me both as an former carer but more particularly as someone who has dementia I do not want my family to suffer stress and pain because of me. In the discussio0n around assisted dying one of the reasons always given is that people with dementia should not be pressured by family wishes. It is not about that. How many of us would willingly save our family the pain of caring for us at the end of our lives when our lives will have so little meaning. This is a difficult and painful subject but we must not dodge it.