Wednesday

An early start for everyone today. Lesley had been told that the local GP would be visiting Dad at What We Have To Refer To As The Hospital some time after 9am.

We were determined to get Lesley there in time to see the GP so that there was someone who knew something about Dad’s conditions and medical history there to talk to them. We certainly didn’t want to have to rely on any of the staff there as they still seem clueless. And they weren’t going to get anything sensible out of Dad either.

Unusually for us, Lesley was there in plenty of time. She checked in with a nurse.

“Oh! Did someone say the GP would be here today? He’s not coming till Thursday.”

We’re beginning to use a certain phrase whenever we’re talking about The Hospital now.

“Shit-show.”

But Dad was pleased to see Lesley. He was relieved that she was there early because he said he needed help getting ready to go to work. I know. He’s 96.

Lesley called me.

“They’ve still got no information about Dad here. You know that pack of documents that you prepared when he went into The Home…”

“Er, yeah. I scanned them all so we had copies.”

“You couldn’t just ping them over to me could you?”

Those fateful words – “just ping them over”.

They’re big files and there’s loads of them. And with our broadband playing up again it would be quicker to print them and take them to her. On foot.

Half an hour goes by. A document by document commentary updates Lesley on what’s been sent and how far through the list I’ve got.

“Oh my goodness! I didn’t realise how much I was asking for!”

“No. Nobody ever does. And I’m trying to sort out an invoice from Mum’s Borough Council too. They want her to pay for that Lifeline service that we cancelled two years ago when she was first ill.”

I thought I was going to get The Dog out for her walk early today. But it’s mid-day and I’m not even dressed yet.

“I presume you’ll be trying to get there dead early again tomorrow then?”

“Yes. Sorry.”

Bloody hell.

Author’s Note

My Mum was in a nursing home in the Thames Valley for a year and a half until she passed away in December 2024. My Father-in-law went into the same home the following January. But Lesley’s sister didn’t approve and made the situation so awkward that he had to be moved. The image is not of the home itself. I used AI to generate an image of a typical modern nursing home. Names and locations have been changed or hidden to protect the identities of those involved. Which, for the new home, is probably just as well.