Today I am not writing a full article as our family has grown by one shiny new member.
Welcome Charlotte May, a first-born daughter for my son, Dan and his lovely and deservedly proud wife, Doctor Sarah Klinger. Mother and daughter are doing fine.
I shall resume my articles very shortly but you will understand a slight pause while we welcome Charlie to our world!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
AreYouEverWrongMrBrown
There are many things wrong in the world today, and one of the most annoying is the failure of people to admit that they’re wrong. Arise chief culprit, Prime Minister Gordon Brown. This is the same man who, when things were going well when he was in charge of the economy claimed all the credit for the country’s success. Now that it is going very wrong it has nothing to do with him.
It goes further than this. This weekend he announced that he was looking at new legislation to stop financial institutions from issuing 100% mortgages or allowing them to people unable to prove sufficient earning multiples. This is called locking the door after the horse has bolted.
It is laughable that the Prime Minister should seriously announce that he was going to stop such mortgages when no such mortgages are available.
His time would be better spent making sure his pronouncements regarding the banks easing credit for small to medium businesses and individuals actually happened at ground level since at present this is not the case. His entire government continually tells us that they have made funds available for this specific purpose, but there is a massive blockage in the pipeline. The money is simply not getting to its intended recipients.
I have spoken with many small businessmen recently and they all report pressure from the bank at best and withdrawal of facilities is a common occurrence. The little men and women are fighting for their financial survival and they are not being helped, despite the bank having received huge sums of our money via the government for this purpose. Our leaders had better get out of their luxurious offices and stop listening to their fat cat civil servants or the troubles we’re now facing will get much more intense. People are rightly getting very angry.
I am grateful to the correspondent who sent me the winning entry in an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term:
This year's term was Political Correctness.
The winner R. J. Wiedemann Lt. Col. United States Marine Corps (Retired) wrote:
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
Remind you of anyone Mister Brown?
It goes further than this. This weekend he announced that he was looking at new legislation to stop financial institutions from issuing 100% mortgages or allowing them to people unable to prove sufficient earning multiples. This is called locking the door after the horse has bolted.
It is laughable that the Prime Minister should seriously announce that he was going to stop such mortgages when no such mortgages are available.
His time would be better spent making sure his pronouncements regarding the banks easing credit for small to medium businesses and individuals actually happened at ground level since at present this is not the case. His entire government continually tells us that they have made funds available for this specific purpose, but there is a massive blockage in the pipeline. The money is simply not getting to its intended recipients.
I have spoken with many small businessmen recently and they all report pressure from the bank at best and withdrawal of facilities is a common occurrence. The little men and women are fighting for their financial survival and they are not being helped, despite the bank having received huge sums of our money via the government for this purpose. Our leaders had better get out of their luxurious offices and stop listening to their fat cat civil servants or the troubles we’re now facing will get much more intense. People are rightly getting very angry.
I am grateful to the correspondent who sent me the winning entry in an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term:
This year's term was Political Correctness.
The winner R. J. Wiedemann Lt. Col. United States Marine Corps (Retired) wrote:
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
Remind you of anyone Mister Brown?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
DangersAhead
This week it was revealed that the UK had a debt mountain of £2 trillion, that’s approximately $3 trillion. This is such a huge debt that it is almost unimaginable and unmanageable especially in a country that has a population of a little over 60 million.
Those of us interested in such things also discovered that there have been laws, rules and regulations passed quietly, and without a fuss that enable our central banks to bail out our financial institutions when they deem it necessary, and to keep such an action secret.
There is also further legislation in place allowing yet more breaches of our civil liberties and this has grown with every passing year of our battle against terrorism. Except the laws enacted are not really about that legitimate battle at all, but are much more about controlling us, the British population.
The British, those most relaxed and civilized of people, are just beginning to show a growing antipathy to the countries huge immigrant population as they lose their jobs, homes and prosperity. This catalogue of failures is fanning the flames of hate and envy and that is dangerous since it allows credibility to both the loony left and the far right of our political spectrum.
Observing this sad catalogue in the United States you might well tut and believe this has little or nothing to do with you, other than for your country’s historical links to this, your ultimate mother country. The truth is that it has everything to do with you, because if the battle for liberty is lost here it will inevitably follow all over Europe and the Western World, yes, even in the West’s bastion of democracy, America.
The reasons for this are many but mainly centre on the fact that America faces many of the same economic traumas internally and political battles externally. If these warped experiments in big brother control works in Britain you can bet they will be tried there.
That’s the difference between this Great Depression and the last one in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. First of all, no one in power wanted to admit that we are in recession and the fact is that it is going deeper and further than that. The other huge problem this time around is that this economic collapse is truly global; there is nowhere that is going to prosper in isolation. The best you can hope for is that you will not suffer too badly.
The way to achieve this measure of damage limitation surely starts with our all realizing that this situation must not become the excuse to introduce any forms of isolationism, or protectionism. This would certainly lead to even deeper problems, as countries would seek equally destructive defensive measures.
Perhaps even more vital than this will be winning the fight to protect our liberty and laws so that we don’t sink further into the hands of the very people manning our governments and bureaucracies who put us into this mess in the first place.
Those of us interested in such things also discovered that there have been laws, rules and regulations passed quietly, and without a fuss that enable our central banks to bail out our financial institutions when they deem it necessary, and to keep such an action secret.
There is also further legislation in place allowing yet more breaches of our civil liberties and this has grown with every passing year of our battle against terrorism. Except the laws enacted are not really about that legitimate battle at all, but are much more about controlling us, the British population.
The British, those most relaxed and civilized of people, are just beginning to show a growing antipathy to the countries huge immigrant population as they lose their jobs, homes and prosperity. This catalogue of failures is fanning the flames of hate and envy and that is dangerous since it allows credibility to both the loony left and the far right of our political spectrum.
Observing this sad catalogue in the United States you might well tut and believe this has little or nothing to do with you, other than for your country’s historical links to this, your ultimate mother country. The truth is that it has everything to do with you, because if the battle for liberty is lost here it will inevitably follow all over Europe and the Western World, yes, even in the West’s bastion of democracy, America.
The reasons for this are many but mainly centre on the fact that America faces many of the same economic traumas internally and political battles externally. If these warped experiments in big brother control works in Britain you can bet they will be tried there.
That’s the difference between this Great Depression and the last one in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. First of all, no one in power wanted to admit that we are in recession and the fact is that it is going deeper and further than that. The other huge problem this time around is that this economic collapse is truly global; there is nowhere that is going to prosper in isolation. The best you can hope for is that you will not suffer too badly.
The way to achieve this measure of damage limitation surely starts with our all realizing that this situation must not become the excuse to introduce any forms of isolationism, or protectionism. This would certainly lead to even deeper problems, as countries would seek equally destructive defensive measures.
Perhaps even more vital than this will be winning the fight to protect our liberty and laws so that we don’t sink further into the hands of the very people manning our governments and bureaucracies who put us into this mess in the first place.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
LivingINTheShadowsAResponse
Some of you that follow my articles regularly already know that it is my occasional habit to give space to my exchanges with those who respond to me. In particular I want to show my appreciation to the genuine and widespread depth of feeling my articles on Alzheimer’s and Cancer have engendered this week.
These are illnesses that affect us all, either directly or indirectly at one stage of our lives. It is how we respond to these enemies of us all that demonstrates and defines us as human beings, with all our magnificence and weakness, knowledge and foolishness. We all hope that we are never to be touched by the grim reaper in this tortuous guise, and that if we are, we will somehow manage, at least, for our dignity to survive.
Here are some of the responses I received this week, and I make no apologies for applauding these quiet heroes, for I find their calmness, love and dignity under fire inspirational. Sharon, Neville I know you must have sometimes screamed inside how unfair fate can be, but your examples demonstrate that anything can be overcome, well done and thank you for your inspiring examples.
“Very powerful. I thought it was going the other way, and then you surprised me.” – Dick
Tony
“Your article has struck a resounding chord with me. My late wife didn't have Alzheimer's but she displayed the symptoms of it. Over a period of 10 years, I watched her disappearing in stages.
In 1994 she started to become disorganized - this was a woman who previously raised organization to an art form.
In 1995 she forgot how to drive; which gear to be in, what the pedals were for....
In 1998 she forgot how to use a knife and fork in tandem.
The same year she forgot how to swim.
While all of this was going on she was steadily losing her short-term memory and her ability to join up the logical dots. As the world started to make less and less sense to her, she gradually gave up trying to decipher it and abdicated responsibility.
Between 2001 and 2004, she lived in a nursing home, where everything was done for her. By this time, she had become a 5-year-old, with no short-term and very little long-term memory. She knew her immediate family but she would peer at the nurses who attended her every day as if to say "I know you from somewhere but I'm not sure where."
By the end, she could only remember songs. That's right! Songs. If an advert on TV featured an old song from 30 years ago, however obscure, I would hear her singing along, without animation, as if in a trance, yet she knew all of the words.
I felt like an artist looking at a block of stone or wood and
envisaging the sculpture that he is going to carve out of it. I could
see her in there, but I couldn't reach what I could see. One day, when I am ready, I am going to write the story of her life and death; I may never show it to anyone but I will need to do it.
Thank you for writing this article; I found it strangely comforting; I
couldn't tell you why.” - Neville
Following that response here is a very thoughtful and detailed letter from Sharon;
“It has taken me a day to be able to reply to your article. As you might imagine, I found it difficult to read and it was very poignant. I hope your article finds the right targets.
Unfortunately, for my mum, she lives in Barnet. If she lived in Harrow I could approach the very wonderful Admiral Nurses. The social workers are bound by budgets and I was told by mum's social worker that when people in the borough are asked what they what money to be spent on, dementia is rarely mentioned and then probably only by those who have a loved one who is suffering from this cruelest of diseases. Interestingly, I have NEVER been asked how I think money should be disbursed and I wonder whom it is that the borough approach when sending out these forms. I know of no one who has been asked. Although I have to fight Barnet every inch of the way, and believe me, they don't give an inch, I do have the support of the Maurice Lawson Dementia Support group for carers. However, it is an ongoing fight, which ultimately will be lost because my mum simply can't improve but can only get worse.
What I find unbelievable is that Barnet will not fund full time care at
Home, which for a Malaysian or Phillipino carer costs in the region of £350 per week but that they will fund residential care which costs £500-£800 per week which even after deducting pension income is still costing more. There doesn't seem to be any common sense used just bureaucratic red tape and forms - oh lots of forms. I receive some funding via direct payments and as well as coping with all the emotional stuff I also have to deal with the inland revenue and do the wages and national insurance on a weekly basis as well as end of year tax stuff.
Caring for a relative with dementia of Alzheimer’s is isolating and depressing and certainly, in my experience, there is insufficient care and support available from the local authority unless there is a crisis. They are so busy putting out fires that they don't think about preventing the fire from starting.
Thank you for taking the time to write your article and try and get the message across.” -Sharon
If my writing these articles helps anyone in any way, then I’m glad to have done so. For those of you suffering from these afflictions in any way I can only pass on the wish that you have the strength, wisdom and tenacity to deal with this heavy load.
These are illnesses that affect us all, either directly or indirectly at one stage of our lives. It is how we respond to these enemies of us all that demonstrates and defines us as human beings, with all our magnificence and weakness, knowledge and foolishness. We all hope that we are never to be touched by the grim reaper in this tortuous guise, and that if we are, we will somehow manage, at least, for our dignity to survive.
Here are some of the responses I received this week, and I make no apologies for applauding these quiet heroes, for I find their calmness, love and dignity under fire inspirational. Sharon, Neville I know you must have sometimes screamed inside how unfair fate can be, but your examples demonstrate that anything can be overcome, well done and thank you for your inspiring examples.
“Very powerful. I thought it was going the other way, and then you surprised me.” – Dick
Tony
“Your article has struck a resounding chord with me. My late wife didn't have Alzheimer's but she displayed the symptoms of it. Over a period of 10 years, I watched her disappearing in stages.
In 1994 she started to become disorganized - this was a woman who previously raised organization to an art form.
In 1995 she forgot how to drive; which gear to be in, what the pedals were for....
In 1998 she forgot how to use a knife and fork in tandem.
The same year she forgot how to swim.
While all of this was going on she was steadily losing her short-term memory and her ability to join up the logical dots. As the world started to make less and less sense to her, she gradually gave up trying to decipher it and abdicated responsibility.
Between 2001 and 2004, she lived in a nursing home, where everything was done for her. By this time, she had become a 5-year-old, with no short-term and very little long-term memory. She knew her immediate family but she would peer at the nurses who attended her every day as if to say "I know you from somewhere but I'm not sure where."
By the end, she could only remember songs. That's right! Songs. If an advert on TV featured an old song from 30 years ago, however obscure, I would hear her singing along, without animation, as if in a trance, yet she knew all of the words.
I felt like an artist looking at a block of stone or wood and
envisaging the sculpture that he is going to carve out of it. I could
see her in there, but I couldn't reach what I could see. One day, when I am ready, I am going to write the story of her life and death; I may never show it to anyone but I will need to do it.
Thank you for writing this article; I found it strangely comforting; I
couldn't tell you why.” - Neville
Following that response here is a very thoughtful and detailed letter from Sharon;
“It has taken me a day to be able to reply to your article. As you might imagine, I found it difficult to read and it was very poignant. I hope your article finds the right targets.
Unfortunately, for my mum, she lives in Barnet. If she lived in Harrow I could approach the very wonderful Admiral Nurses. The social workers are bound by budgets and I was told by mum's social worker that when people in the borough are asked what they what money to be spent on, dementia is rarely mentioned and then probably only by those who have a loved one who is suffering from this cruelest of diseases. Interestingly, I have NEVER been asked how I think money should be disbursed and I wonder whom it is that the borough approach when sending out these forms. I know of no one who has been asked. Although I have to fight Barnet every inch of the way, and believe me, they don't give an inch, I do have the support of the Maurice Lawson Dementia Support group for carers. However, it is an ongoing fight, which ultimately will be lost because my mum simply can't improve but can only get worse.
What I find unbelievable is that Barnet will not fund full time care at
Home, which for a Malaysian or Phillipino carer costs in the region of £350 per week but that they will fund residential care which costs £500-£800 per week which even after deducting pension income is still costing more. There doesn't seem to be any common sense used just bureaucratic red tape and forms - oh lots of forms. I receive some funding via direct payments and as well as coping with all the emotional stuff I also have to deal with the inland revenue and do the wages and national insurance on a weekly basis as well as end of year tax stuff.
Caring for a relative with dementia of Alzheimer’s is isolating and depressing and certainly, in my experience, there is insufficient care and support available from the local authority unless there is a crisis. They are so busy putting out fires that they don't think about preventing the fire from starting.
Thank you for taking the time to write your article and try and get the message across.” -Sharon
If my writing these articles helps anyone in any way, then I’m glad to have done so. For those of you suffering from these afflictions in any way I can only pass on the wish that you have the strength, wisdom and tenacity to deal with this heavy load.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
ALingeringFarewell
Today we are going to mull over a moral dilemma. Is it right or acceptable behavior to share your own death with the paying public - Isn’t this the ultimate reality television?
Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed his sympathies for British reality TV star Jade Goody, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He is quoted as saying that people should "applaud her determination to help her family", by her sale of the media rights to her wedding this weekend. OK! magazine has bought exclusive rights to this Sunday's ceremony for £700,000 and Living TV paid a further £100,000 to broadcast it.
The former Big Brother contestant's plight was "very sad and tragic"; Brown told his regular monthly press conference. Mr Brown went on to say: "It's very sad and tragic that such a young woman has this cancer. It's very sad indeed that the treatment has not been successful."
He added: "Her determination to help her family is something that we have got to applaud and I wish her family well."
In January 2007, Ms Goody received a huge barrage of criticism for her alleged racist bullying of her fellow Celebrity Big Brother contestant, Indian film actress Shilpa Shetty. Goody was consequently slung out of the Big Brother house.
Last year, in an ironic twist, Ms Goody appeared on the Indian version of Big Brother. She had to leave prematurely when informed she had cervical cancer.
Months of treatment followed and now it has just been revealed that the cancer had spread to her bowel, liver and groin, leaving her only months to live.
This young woman decided that she wants to share this experience to the end. She claims two reasons for doing so, the first is that she wants to provide as well as she’s able for her young sons. The second is that Jade believes that other women can benefit from the terrible lesson she is learning about regular health check ups and screenings. Apparently if Jade had followed up as she could and should have done she would have enjoyed a 90%+ chance of survival whereas she now has a 0% chance.
I know the benefits of regular medical checks myself as twice they have spotted pre-cancerous cells in me, which were quickly and easily dealt with, and following which I am fortunate enough to have suffered no consequences.
Ms. Goody is not so fortunate, and is hated and loved by many who have watched her short career as a TV celebrity, famous for being famous. She might not be the brightest intellect in the world, but surely no one deserves an end like this.
My wife was shopping a few weeks ago and found Jade distraught and crying in her car in the parking lot. She offered the young woman whatever comfort she could, but she was distraught at the obvious distress she was in. Imagine having to put on a brave face in public all the time whilst your world is literally falling apart.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Jade’s decision to share her harrowing experience with the world; no one else has the moral right to condemn her motives, whatever they might be. I think she is very brave and deserves our total support in this, her toughest fight. In a way, if she has this support she will triumph even in her own death, and that is what she deserves.
If Jade needs the money to cushion the blow of her imminent demise for her children surely she deserves that right.
If Jade, by her terrible example, can warn just one other woman to protect herself adequately health wise then that would be wonderful. There are, in fact, reports of a 20-30% increase in young women seeking the appropriate cervical smear tests since Jade made herself a public campaign.
For those sanctimonious and patronizing members of the chattering classes who take a morally higher tone I respond with the words of Mark Twain, “Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to.”
Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed his sympathies for British reality TV star Jade Goody, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He is quoted as saying that people should "applaud her determination to help her family", by her sale of the media rights to her wedding this weekend. OK! magazine has bought exclusive rights to this Sunday's ceremony for £700,000 and Living TV paid a further £100,000 to broadcast it.
The former Big Brother contestant's plight was "very sad and tragic"; Brown told his regular monthly press conference. Mr Brown went on to say: "It's very sad and tragic that such a young woman has this cancer. It's very sad indeed that the treatment has not been successful."
He added: "Her determination to help her family is something that we have got to applaud and I wish her family well."
In January 2007, Ms Goody received a huge barrage of criticism for her alleged racist bullying of her fellow Celebrity Big Brother contestant, Indian film actress Shilpa Shetty. Goody was consequently slung out of the Big Brother house.
Last year, in an ironic twist, Ms Goody appeared on the Indian version of Big Brother. She had to leave prematurely when informed she had cervical cancer.
Months of treatment followed and now it has just been revealed that the cancer had spread to her bowel, liver and groin, leaving her only months to live.
This young woman decided that she wants to share this experience to the end. She claims two reasons for doing so, the first is that she wants to provide as well as she’s able for her young sons. The second is that Jade believes that other women can benefit from the terrible lesson she is learning about regular health check ups and screenings. Apparently if Jade had followed up as she could and should have done she would have enjoyed a 90%+ chance of survival whereas she now has a 0% chance.
I know the benefits of regular medical checks myself as twice they have spotted pre-cancerous cells in me, which were quickly and easily dealt with, and following which I am fortunate enough to have suffered no consequences.
Ms. Goody is not so fortunate, and is hated and loved by many who have watched her short career as a TV celebrity, famous for being famous. She might not be the brightest intellect in the world, but surely no one deserves an end like this.
My wife was shopping a few weeks ago and found Jade distraught and crying in her car in the parking lot. She offered the young woman whatever comfort she could, but she was distraught at the obvious distress she was in. Imagine having to put on a brave face in public all the time whilst your world is literally falling apart.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Jade’s decision to share her harrowing experience with the world; no one else has the moral right to condemn her motives, whatever they might be. I think she is very brave and deserves our total support in this, her toughest fight. In a way, if she has this support she will triumph even in her own death, and that is what she deserves.
If Jade needs the money to cushion the blow of her imminent demise for her children surely she deserves that right.
If Jade, by her terrible example, can warn just one other woman to protect herself adequately health wise then that would be wonderful. There are, in fact, reports of a 20-30% increase in young women seeking the appropriate cervical smear tests since Jade made herself a public campaign.
For those sanctimonious and patronizing members of the chattering classes who take a morally higher tone I respond with the words of Mark Twain, “Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to.”
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
LivingInTheShadows
Horrible Alzheimer’s disease, could there be anything more cruel or arbitrary than this illness that robs us of our loved ones and leaves us with their shadows? This is an intensely personal article and a plea from the heart on behalf of us all.
I am not a medical expert so I won’t write an article with any pretense to knowledge I don’t possess, but I have seen the results of Alzheimer’s on two occasions. The first time I witnessed this especially insidious illness the victim was my lovely Nana Bertha. This big, jolly lady who dispensed her love via her sweet smile and her big balls of East European food, in the form of knadels or meat or lockshen was slowly diminished to a husk as her brain became a useless empty shell.
Now her daughter, my special Aunty Renee, is suffering from the same fate. I’ve watched from a concerned distance as my Aunty has been taken from us inch by terrible inch. I don’t see her as much as I should because I am unsure of how to deal with her; I am also diminished by her illness. I still love her dearly, but my Aunty Renee is not “in” any more. Now when I look into her eyes and she returns the stare, still with love, but unsure who I am, and usually wrong when she ventures a guess. For my more recent visits she thinks I am my nephew, Daryl. I don’t try and argue with or question her; my instinct is just to go along with our small deceit if it makes her happy. I wonder who she thinks Daryl is when he sees her, but there’s no point in correcting her as she now has a memory like a goldfish trapped in a bowl. Our family just wants her to be happy as her world steadily contracts.
Compared to the fate of my aunt and grandmother the sudden death of my father from a heart attack was a blessed relief. Of course at the time we are all hugely shocked and grief stricken when a loved one is yanked from us by their sudden demise. The lingering nature of Alzheimer’s is intensely draining and lengthy. It makes the people in the families who care for the victims of Alzheimer’s wonder if they can continue to be strong and determined enough for the entire length of this terrible and unrewarding journey to death of their loved ones.
I watched my mother and her family try to cope with my grandmother’s illness and despite their unrelenting determination and love it was unrelenting and crushingly hard for them. Now I see the same thing happening to my cousin Sharon as she fights every inch of the way to deal with her mother’s slow drift to the end. This is made more poignant by the fact that my cousin is a health professional that understands exactly what’s happening and is savvy about the system and deals with it expertly. It’s still hard for her almost beyond bearing; so how much worse is it for those less eloquent or able? Another route for some is to spend the money necessary to provide the necessary care but there are very few people with the financial muscle to furnish the essential 24-hour a day caring resources.
My reason for choosing to write this article was the revelation by the British TV news anchor, John Suchet, that his wife, Bonnie, was another victim of Alzheimer’s. She has been a victim for more than three years and as he bravely faced the questions on TV this morning he made the point that in the entire UK there are only 60 nurses trained to help deal specifically with this awful disease. That equates to 60 trained people battling an illness that 700,000 people in this country are presently suffering from!
I was appalled when I heard these statistics, which by any measure is a national disgrace that shames us all. There is an urgent and pressing need for help to be given to the families of all those suffering from this dreaded and silent killer and robber of personalities. All of you who form our government, you must listen because one day this will affect someone in your family, or a friend or a loved one, and none of can ignore this desperate need. This is not just a job for families or charity; this is a function of a caring society. We are going through parlous economic times but nevertheless we can find these resources if we eliminate banking bonuses and government overspending on expenses and wasteful, failed social engineering experiments to pay for it.
I am not a medical expert so I won’t write an article with any pretense to knowledge I don’t possess, but I have seen the results of Alzheimer’s on two occasions. The first time I witnessed this especially insidious illness the victim was my lovely Nana Bertha. This big, jolly lady who dispensed her love via her sweet smile and her big balls of East European food, in the form of knadels or meat or lockshen was slowly diminished to a husk as her brain became a useless empty shell.
Now her daughter, my special Aunty Renee, is suffering from the same fate. I’ve watched from a concerned distance as my Aunty has been taken from us inch by terrible inch. I don’t see her as much as I should because I am unsure of how to deal with her; I am also diminished by her illness. I still love her dearly, but my Aunty Renee is not “in” any more. Now when I look into her eyes and she returns the stare, still with love, but unsure who I am, and usually wrong when she ventures a guess. For my more recent visits she thinks I am my nephew, Daryl. I don’t try and argue with or question her; my instinct is just to go along with our small deceit if it makes her happy. I wonder who she thinks Daryl is when he sees her, but there’s no point in correcting her as she now has a memory like a goldfish trapped in a bowl. Our family just wants her to be happy as her world steadily contracts.
Compared to the fate of my aunt and grandmother the sudden death of my father from a heart attack was a blessed relief. Of course at the time we are all hugely shocked and grief stricken when a loved one is yanked from us by their sudden demise. The lingering nature of Alzheimer’s is intensely draining and lengthy. It makes the people in the families who care for the victims of Alzheimer’s wonder if they can continue to be strong and determined enough for the entire length of this terrible and unrewarding journey to death of their loved ones.
I watched my mother and her family try to cope with my grandmother’s illness and despite their unrelenting determination and love it was unrelenting and crushingly hard for them. Now I see the same thing happening to my cousin Sharon as she fights every inch of the way to deal with her mother’s slow drift to the end. This is made more poignant by the fact that my cousin is a health professional that understands exactly what’s happening and is savvy about the system and deals with it expertly. It’s still hard for her almost beyond bearing; so how much worse is it for those less eloquent or able? Another route for some is to spend the money necessary to provide the necessary care but there are very few people with the financial muscle to furnish the essential 24-hour a day caring resources.
My reason for choosing to write this article was the revelation by the British TV news anchor, John Suchet, that his wife, Bonnie, was another victim of Alzheimer’s. She has been a victim for more than three years and as he bravely faced the questions on TV this morning he made the point that in the entire UK there are only 60 nurses trained to help deal specifically with this awful disease. That equates to 60 trained people battling an illness that 700,000 people in this country are presently suffering from!
I was appalled when I heard these statistics, which by any measure is a national disgrace that shames us all. There is an urgent and pressing need for help to be given to the families of all those suffering from this dreaded and silent killer and robber of personalities. All of you who form our government, you must listen because one day this will affect someone in your family, or a friend or a loved one, and none of can ignore this desperate need. This is not just a job for families or charity; this is a function of a caring society. We are going through parlous economic times but nevertheless we can find these resources if we eliminate banking bonuses and government overspending on expenses and wasteful, failed social engineering experiments to pay for it.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Nearly25Things
First I wish to include a note via my good friend Chip in America who sent me the following;
Muzzammil Hassan, of Orchard Park NY (SE of Buffalo), is the "founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004 amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light. Its slogan was 'connecting people through understanding'."
He was arrested on Thursday and charged with beheading his wife.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29189095/
Keep working on the image building Muzzammil.
I am almost totally caving in on two fronts today. Firstly I have cravenly submitted to the seemingly inescapable “Twitter” craze and signed up after being “Twitted” many times over the last weeks by those wishing me to join the trend. I really don’t see the point of being in a text based messaging system to send or receive chains of random thoughts to and from people I either don’t know well or at all. Perhaps I am missing something profound.
Last week it was the thoughts of actor, comedian and all round genius Stephen Fry when he was trapped in a lift (elevator) with a bunch of strangers. As ever he communicated his plight in tight little sentences; this time is he a Twittee for the transmittal of his plight or am I the Twittee for reading of it?
I don’t see why we should wish to communicate in this truncated form in either direction, particularly since instead of personalizing our relationships this will, by definition, other than by accident, do precisely the opposite. However, this is no doubt one of those giant crazes that sweep the world in minutes so one has to participate to witness its evolution and be annoyed by it.
I have also decided to join another craze, the one in which you list 25 things about yourself, although I have randomly decided that I shall construct a list that is slightly shorter or longer on the arbitrary basis that I must not totally conform. I’m not sure of the precise reason for this listing of one’s peculiarities and peccadilloes being a necessity but on the other hand, it does, momentarily, release your mind from thinking about the economy or Gordon Brown or the multi trillion deficits our countries are all running. I wouldn’t be so angry if at the same time our leaders didn’t keep telling us what we are doing wrong, when clearly they don’t have a clue how to do anything themselves!
So here we go, purely in the interests of not being too serious. Some things you didn’t know about Tony Klinger and perhaps don’t care to know.
1. His favorite color is red, which is the color of the strip for his favorite football team, Manchester United and, of course McDonalds.
2. He must never drive a red sports car since a psychic told his late mother he would be killed if he drove one, Avis and Hertz please note.
3. In the UK Tony drives an American car, a Cadillac, but in the States he usually drives a Japanese car, go figure.
4. The first thing Tony read was the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
5. His first school was St. Francis, in Acton, London, where he was the first non-Catholic to attend. Interesting but ridiculous.
6. The best book of stories he ever read was the Old Testament.
7. Klinger’s favorite book is Catch 22 by Joseph Heller but it’s run close by Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged that possibly signifies that he has a somewhat split personality.
8. Tony’s favorite film is Citizen Caine and he thinks it is also the best film ever made.
9. Klinger’s dad was also a filmmaker, producing films such as Get Carter with Michael Caine and executive producing, amongst others some wonderful stuff like Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac with the director Roman Polanski and the ultra successful Confessions series.
10. Before that Tony’s dad had many occupations, but he was most proud of having been a structural engineer, having designed, during the Second World War the first machine that tested bombs and other munitions on the production line.
11. TK has worked in every capacity on film and media production except for make up and hair.
12. TK once scored 6 goals in a single soccer match in Los Angeles and when a teen he won all his boxing matches bar one and once won all the races at a swim meet and the Twist dance competition at Hastings Happy Holiday Camp, beat that!
13. Klinger has filmed in 37 countries, and made over 600 productions for cinema, TV shows, music videos, documentaries, commercials and corporate films and in doing so he has won more than 50 awards.
14. Tony’s most proud professional achievement was to be part of the team winning The Queens Anniversary Award for Education when he was a Lecturer, Course Director at the Bournemouth Film School.
15. Tony, like the British BBC news guru, Jeremy Paxman is very disappointed by the fall in standard and quality of Marks and Spencer’s once great men’s underpants, and is still in search of a suitable replacement. Time is running short.
16. Klinger has been called a Socialist, a Liberal and a fiscal Conservative since he started writing articles on politics but is, like Charles De Gaulle, “above such things”.
17. Tony’s first book, Twilight of the Gods will be published this summer.
Muzzammil Hassan, of Orchard Park NY (SE of Buffalo), is the "founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004 amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light. Its slogan was 'connecting people through understanding'."
He was arrested on Thursday and charged with beheading his wife.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29189095/
Keep working on the image building Muzzammil.
I am almost totally caving in on two fronts today. Firstly I have cravenly submitted to the seemingly inescapable “Twitter” craze and signed up after being “Twitted” many times over the last weeks by those wishing me to join the trend. I really don’t see the point of being in a text based messaging system to send or receive chains of random thoughts to and from people I either don’t know well or at all. Perhaps I am missing something profound.
Last week it was the thoughts of actor, comedian and all round genius Stephen Fry when he was trapped in a lift (elevator) with a bunch of strangers. As ever he communicated his plight in tight little sentences; this time is he a Twittee for the transmittal of his plight or am I the Twittee for reading of it?
I don’t see why we should wish to communicate in this truncated form in either direction, particularly since instead of personalizing our relationships this will, by definition, other than by accident, do precisely the opposite. However, this is no doubt one of those giant crazes that sweep the world in minutes so one has to participate to witness its evolution and be annoyed by it.
I have also decided to join another craze, the one in which you list 25 things about yourself, although I have randomly decided that I shall construct a list that is slightly shorter or longer on the arbitrary basis that I must not totally conform. I’m not sure of the precise reason for this listing of one’s peculiarities and peccadilloes being a necessity but on the other hand, it does, momentarily, release your mind from thinking about the economy or Gordon Brown or the multi trillion deficits our countries are all running. I wouldn’t be so angry if at the same time our leaders didn’t keep telling us what we are doing wrong, when clearly they don’t have a clue how to do anything themselves!
So here we go, purely in the interests of not being too serious. Some things you didn’t know about Tony Klinger and perhaps don’t care to know.
1. His favorite color is red, which is the color of the strip for his favorite football team, Manchester United and, of course McDonalds.
2. He must never drive a red sports car since a psychic told his late mother he would be killed if he drove one, Avis and Hertz please note.
3. In the UK Tony drives an American car, a Cadillac, but in the States he usually drives a Japanese car, go figure.
4. The first thing Tony read was the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
5. His first school was St. Francis, in Acton, London, where he was the first non-Catholic to attend. Interesting but ridiculous.
6. The best book of stories he ever read was the Old Testament.
7. Klinger’s favorite book is Catch 22 by Joseph Heller but it’s run close by Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged that possibly signifies that he has a somewhat split personality.
8. Tony’s favorite film is Citizen Caine and he thinks it is also the best film ever made.
9. Klinger’s dad was also a filmmaker, producing films such as Get Carter with Michael Caine and executive producing, amongst others some wonderful stuff like Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac with the director Roman Polanski and the ultra successful Confessions series.
10. Before that Tony’s dad had many occupations, but he was most proud of having been a structural engineer, having designed, during the Second World War the first machine that tested bombs and other munitions on the production line.
11. TK has worked in every capacity on film and media production except for make up and hair.
12. TK once scored 6 goals in a single soccer match in Los Angeles and when a teen he won all his boxing matches bar one and once won all the races at a swim meet and the Twist dance competition at Hastings Happy Holiday Camp, beat that!
13. Klinger has filmed in 37 countries, and made over 600 productions for cinema, TV shows, music videos, documentaries, commercials and corporate films and in doing so he has won more than 50 awards.
14. Tony’s most proud professional achievement was to be part of the team winning The Queens Anniversary Award for Education when he was a Lecturer, Course Director at the Bournemouth Film School.
15. Tony, like the British BBC news guru, Jeremy Paxman is very disappointed by the fall in standard and quality of Marks and Spencer’s once great men’s underpants, and is still in search of a suitable replacement. Time is running short.
16. Klinger has been called a Socialist, a Liberal and a fiscal Conservative since he started writing articles on politics but is, like Charles De Gaulle, “above such things”.
17. Tony’s first book, Twilight of the Gods will be published this summer.
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