Page 403 - She's One Crazy Lady!

and I always used to joke with one another... “don’t you put me into a Nursing Home!”
The Nursing Home was a complete contrast to Cransley. Again, these
are my personal observations, but a Nursing Home was, I felt, not “ the right environment for anyone with terminal cancer. Marilyn’s needs
were complex. She was bed-bound and not capable of doing anything
for herself and because of her intense pain, any kind of move had to be
handled so carefully. There was little verbal or other stimulation – such
stimulation had to come from the family and her friends. The staff were
pleasant but it was a large complex and their time with every patient
was limited – you had to feel for them too.
So another question I ask: ‘Why, in this day and age, with one in two people being diagnosed with cancer, aren’t there more specialist cancer units, within a hospital environment or elsewhere, for cancer patients and families to have ‘a good death’?’ Marilyn so wanted to stay at Cransley – ideally she wanted to be at home but this was not possible. The rules were clear and Cransley needed the beds so she had to be moved.
I know I’m not alone with the questions I ask. We were grateful, of course, for all the care Marilyn did receive in her final days but it wasn’t ideal.
One day, perhaps the Government may open their eyes and do something about this – one can hope.
Marilyn did not want to be in a Nursing Home – she and I always used to joke with one another... “don’t you
put me into a
Nursing Home”
!”
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