I stayed a further 2 years in the home, after Kathleens death then took up a new post.
Re-settling three individuals into the community from a long stay Hospital/asylum [the last to close down... originaly housed 2500 individuals]

Matrin...42...Autistic.[non verbal communication, but most independent person with the strongest will, ive ever met]
Bernard 66 [Blind, Autistic..and of poor physical mobility [ no verbal communication, but a character what films should be written about]
and finally Iris...58...Autistic...with Scitzophrenia...[ some vocal communication ... but limited to her needs ... 'Cup of tea now' ...'Slice of cake'......or sadly to her previous treatment years gone bye..'Dirty *****' ..'shitty Iris'...

Iris was a person sadly classed with challenging behaviour....and totaly unpredictable..

In the 6 weeks i stayed at the hospital prior to her leaving , the only thing that was apparent was at meal times Iris ate her food how ever hot it was at lightniing speed. Digestion was not her game... why... because 30 years ago you ate what you were given or someone else stronger than you ate it first....


Sadly years of this behaviour [including snatching boiling hot drinks and drinking them in one go] had paid a price.. soon into the 6 weeks stay at her hospital i was aware of Iris's bowel problem.. she had a pro-lapse of the back passage....she suffered tremendous constipation which caused this lady untold pain... When asked why the prolapse had never been addressed they said her heart could not take an opperation.

Within one year of living in her new home.. under a strict diet.. but regular/often meals... both her incontinence and eating/drinking habbits were normalised.

The prolapse was still there but we established her heart was fine, and 8 months later the prolapse was corrected.


Sadly in year 7 Iris became very manic and unstable and a stay in hospital was required to adjust her meds.. Because mental health staff dont understand learning disabillities we are require to be with clients whilst in hospital[ money issue once again.....one-one attention is required and cannot be supplied in pyschiatric wards to undiagnosed patients..]

sadly even money prevented us from staying overnight..so they had to support Iris at night..


I went in one mornining after three days off and noticed Aswelling in Iris' abdomen... when i asked the duty nurse she said she would look into this... two days later after many remonstrations a doctor ordered a ultrasound....


A plastic nurses appron was found in Iris' stomach/bowel [ i forgot to mention Iris would eat anything when stressed... though it was not forgotten on her medical notes]

Iris was given repeated ennamas then eventualy it camme away.


Two months later her abdomen swelled again...she had three mini strokes.. was confused and visible unwell. Whilst in hospital her abdomen swelled enourmously [ previously she was about 8 stone] she looked enourmous... she had not been to the toilet for 2-3 weeks dispite daily ennamas.

We were told Iris had a stangulated Bowel, and normally an opperation to remove some of the intestine and the fitting of a Collostomy bag would remedy the problem.. but they stated Iris was on too much medication and her heart could not take the opperation...

I was told there was nothing that could be done......[ but on the quiet a nurse told me that a surgeon had said that Iris would be a drain on resourses, and that was the clinical diagnossis], for not carrying out surgery]

The next 8 weeks were spent by her bedside watching her abdomen/body reduce to 4 stone of frailty.

I entered the ward on June 26th 2001... to see Iris for the first time show facial expression... whilst holding her hand... she whinced...her eyes shutting tightly....I knew she was in pain... and summoned a nurse...i explained my fears....

for the one and only time throughout all of her care i was asked to leave her bed side.....i returned upon instruction[ go for a walk] 25 mins later to be told Iris had passed away.....

I know Iris had been administered with Morphine additional to the normal daily amount because i read the notes two hours later.......


WHO DECIDED UPON iRIS'S LIFE.


David