Not Dead Yet - Forum

I can't say much about this subject yet, except to say he died and we are waiting for a County Court case of fraud.

Watch this space!

He had his 78th birthday on the 2nd January and died a couple of weeks later. That was last year and we still have his ashes behind me in a casket in a carrier bag waiting for the case to come up and closure to the whole sorry business.

He was his own worst enemy, really, because he was a shy loner in his youth and joined the Merchant Navy travelling the world instead of settling down and having his own family. Later, he was too independent to want to share his life with anyone.

After his parents died and he retired from the Merch he took to the drink. He had no friends to speak of because he had such a nasty temper which he inherited from his father, it would put people off him.

Then his health began to suffer with a muscle-wasting condition that got to point where his leg muscles wouldn?t take his weight. He was then helpless and totally reliant on others. His frustration would boil over with rage and this would put the carers off doing anything for him.

His medical practice didn't want to know him. The housing association who's property he was living in didn't want to know him. His social worker from Social Services let him down by offering him a place in a home and then taking it away again.

His eyes were so bad he could no longer see well from his own glasses. He was refused a laundry service unless he paid £50 a time. The housing association refused to install the right plumbing so he could buy a washing machine to get the laundry done in his flat.

On top of all that someone stole his credit card and relieved his bank account of £23,000.        


Barry

Some story  Beejay/ I must have issed part one. Will watch that space with interest.

(Part 2 - Continued)

His death certificate gave the cause of death as pneumonia. He had a bad chest. This was mostly caused by the care workers not knowing how to work the central-heating system in his flat. They would either turn it full on, which left him roasting all night, or turn it off completely, which left him freezing all night.

The care assistance he got three times a day, one first thing, to get him out of bed, put him in his wheelchair, get his breakfast, and strip his bed of urine-soaked bedding. The second visit was his meal and ablutions. The third was to transfer him from his chair to the re-made bed. Although we were told not to my wife did his laundry for him because there was no one else.

He would often have to go 12 hours through the night between visits from carers. Sometimes he was desperate in the night which would result in him falling from the bed and shouting for help. I would pull our cord and get an ambulance for him.

Once he dislocated his hip from one of these falls and ended up in hospital for six weeks. When they brought him home the ambulancemen left him in the middle of his living room in his wheelchair and no one came to attend to him till the next day. He was there all night.

Barry  

Hi dilerite

I have been sitting on this story for a year now waiting for the courtcase and the press but it now looks like its not going to happen until June.

There's lots more about this story I can't tell about until after the case is over, so mum's the word for 3 months yet.

Barry

You say that he was in the merchant navy, so assummed, he was ok then. perhaps something really changed his mind about people ??? To refuse any help, is not the time to be 'angry' --  Something actually must have made him that way ??? I can understand The carer's they have to be so careful, but he certainly needed Help, from somebody.

Hi Phoenix

I think the reason he joined the Merch was to escape people. He joined up with the ambition to work in the engine-room on the UK to Australia route.

That was back when it was £10 assisted passage. But they said he wasn't strong enough or cut out for engineroom work so he ended up in the kitchens.

Barry  

a disgusting state of affairs.Maybe the man was awkward, but thats more reason why he needed help.

Could be he feels, 'let down' by not being allowed to work in the boileroom and of course -- short conversations while engaged in working ??? ---  Still not good enough to be left to his own devices ??  There is obviously much more to this and possibly He was the only one, that knew the whole truth.???

One other thing, an unusual coincidence.

In the 70s I lived in Branksome in Poole - Wroxham Road. This was my very first property with my name on.

It turned out that this chap downstairs lived, in the 40s and 50s, in the road that cut across mine - Sheringham Road.

I lived to the west of the junction and he lived to the south in it.

What a coincidence!

Barry  

Hum!!  Seems more like 'Destiny'-- strange things really do happen. ???

Any further deveopements with the man downstairs Beejay.

 It can be Hell, when you really Care, about People and their Welfare. :( :(

Barry where are you? This is really interesting, what is happening, I guess it won't do the old fella any good now though.

Everybody, needs someone to talk too, at one time or another. Even if it's just a 'listening ear' - It really can help. :)

Hi all.

Right! I?ve got some news, at last.

While we were away on holiday, there was a hearing held at Portsmouth Crown Court in which she was found guilty. The case has been adjourned until the 2nd of July for sentencing. What exactly she?s been found guilty of, I haven?t found out yet.

Her brief has been trying to get her a lesser sentence by only admitting to stealing ?10,000 instead of the sum of ?26,000 that went from his bank account.

It?s also come to light that she had been taken to court twice before for the same offences to other disabled pensioners and each time got suspended sentences.

It wouldn?t surprise me if the same thing doesn?t happen in this case.

Also, no one bothered to inform us officially of these developments, but when we recently saw in the local TV news programme that the Hampshire Constabulary have overspent by ?3M. we can understand why they didn't bother.

It seems that justice could come at too high a price in Britain today?

PS. Some good news to cheer me up is fact that Portsmouth FC have escaped bankruptcy and still have a future. Hooray!

Barry & Sheila

I couldn't find Part 1.  How sad that this man's life ended like this.  :(

Hi Maegan

My original post wasn't titled 'Part One' but you can still read it for it was posted on Jan.17th 2009 as just plain 'The Man Downstairs.'

Sorry about the confusion.

Barry

Hi Beejay  :)  I found it.  What a sad story. 

There are occassions when I feel somewhat emotional about people that are being neglected, even though I am powerless to help. It still angers me that there are so many people, that just need a little 'tender loving care' yet, never receive any.