Hi. My father of 79 has been diagnosed with Atzheimer's. He lives at home with my stepmother. She had a stoke a couple of years ago and has since fallen and broken a hip. She is very frail and has no confidence to leave the house. Most days she sits and smokes and drinks gin and vodka as she watches both the TV and the neighbours come and go. Dad has a terrier that he still takes for a walk twice a day (or more when he forgets he's just been). He was recently assaulted on his door step after he allowed the dog to poo in the wrong place. Someone rubbed dog**** in his face. Luckily, he had forgotten about it in half an hour.
He has dramatic mood swings and is now using increasingly foul and racist language to his neighbours and their small children. He is deaf in one ear. They do no housework and the place is absolutely filthy and covered in dog hair. My sister and I go to hoover once a week now. They had a bed bug infestation that we are still dealing with via Rentokil.
My stepmother finally agreed that my sister and I can contact Merton Social Services on their behalf to maybe ask about home helps or something. They responded by sending a list of approved cleaning contractors and promised, weeks ago, to send someone round to assess them for carers allowance. (Apparently they might both be able to claim to "care" for each other!). No-one has been in touch.
My parents' situation has all the elements of a tragedy waiting to happen. Do we have to wait until someone dies before they get help? I can't believe an ex-soldier and tax-payer is treated this way in the 21st Century.
He has dramatic mood swings and is now using increasingly foul and racist language to his neighbours and their small children. He is deaf in one ear. They do no housework and the place is absolutely filthy and covered in dog hair. My sister and I go to hoover once a week now. They had a bed bug infestation that we are still dealing with via Rentokil.
My stepmother finally agreed that my sister and I can contact Merton Social Services on their behalf to maybe ask about home helps or something. They responded by sending a list of approved cleaning contractors and promised, weeks ago, to send someone round to assess them for carers allowance. (Apparently they might both be able to claim to "care" for each other!). No-one has been in touch.
My parents' situation has all the elements of a tragedy waiting to happen. Do we have to wait until someone dies before they get help? I can't believe an ex-soldier and tax-payer is treated this way in the 21st Century.