Aged 97

It is a truth little understood that a mind riddled with dementia so bad that it cannot remember ten seconds ago, has the determination to hold on to a single particular thought through days of increasing physical pain. 

The thought is this; "If I refuse water and food,  I will be released from this intolerable existence; I will die, and that is now my greatest wish."

It can take a week. The strength of mind is astonishing.

NHS thank you

Watched in awe today at 1am as doctors and nurses stabilised a a 97year old lady who had arrived with a blue flashing light almost unconscious and gasping for air at 60 breaths a minute to 160 heartbeats. With compassion, kindness, humour and expertise they brought down her heart rate, slowed her breathing, rehydrated her, stabilised her blood sugar (she had become diabetic) reduced her salt levels, slowly reduced her chest infection and sepsis with antibiotics, gave her pain relief, and made her damaged kidneys work again.

Finally in the early hours my Mother was calm enough to be able to sleep.

Thank you NHS, Thank you Royal Devon and Exeter Acute Medical Unit. And may all the government ministers and privatisation vultures who knock the NHS go to hell.