Mum and Jayne

For three years my father and I would speak to mum’s GP about our worries but every time we were told ‘bring her to the surgery’. Mum would never go.  

Another stressful two years passed and the strain of caring for Mum led Dad to suffer two heart attacks. There was no support. I battled the system and got Mum the help but first, she had to be admitted to an “institutional” elderly mental health unit and after a month in there she was formally diagnosed with vascular dementia. 

Married for 65 years, mum and dad never spent one night apart until mum went into hospital and a care home. I saw how difficult that time was for both of them. The photo below was taken after my mum and dad were reunited after her lengthy spell in hospital and thereafter resumed seeing each other every day until both passed.