My beautiful mum was let down ❤︎

I know this is not about cancer, but it is about end of life. My beautiful 87 year old mum is lying in hospital, now in an efficient and caring acute respiratory ward where she will pass away in end of life care. But she came into hospital about 6 or 7 weeks ago with fractured ribs. She was admitted to a general older person’s ward and given antibiotics for a potential lung infection that she didn’t then have and consequently ‘acquired’ the most terrible tummy bug,  C Difficile. There were several cases on the ward. So I know she caught it there. This bug has destroyed her. And now I’m sitting watching her dying.  I am so angry at the hospital. The care for older patients on the general ward was poor. The room was awful, pokey and the window was damaged. The ward was noisy, the staff were shouty & the environment was not conducive to an elderly person’s recovery from anything. We had to struggle to get things done in a timely manner and mistakes and delays in treatment occurred all the time. I thought she would be out and fine by now. Instead she and we all suffered 7 weeks of absolute hell, and now she is dying. I will never get over this, especially so soon after my dad died of cancer last year. His plan forward was so clear and he was so well supported. But my mum was let down. And I feel huge guilt because I couldn’t help my lovely mum get out of this terrible situation. She only got out to somewhere better because she caught a lung infection on top of everything else she suffered. If your parents or family need hospital treatment, research what is possible, choose the right hospital, look at the facilities, look at the reviews, find the best option. I trusted the local NHS and now it’s too late for my lovely mum.