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Heartache of Leeds Alzheimer's wife
A PENSIONER has begun a legal battle for the right to care for her dying husband who has Alzheimer's.
Dorothy Townend says medics at Asket Croft care home are forcing her husband Harry to stay at the east Leeds unit, which she says is "like a prison" to him.
Mrs Townend, 78, from Cross Gates, had been caring for her 86-year old spouse at home for more than six years since his diagnosis for the brain-deteriorating illness in 2003.
But after a fall at home in March and a short stay at Leeds General Infirmary, he was transferred to the residential home for physiotherapy. He has been there three months.
Now Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Asket Croft, won't let him come home because they say he needs 24-hour care and Mrs Townend can't provide it alone.
Nursing staff are not allowed to care in the couple's home because of fears Mr Townend might lash out at them, as he is already alleged to have done once.
The dispute is taking its toll on Mrs Townend who says she has lost two stones in weight in as many months.
She fears Mr Townend's frustration and stress will aggravate his heart problems and kill him before his illness does.
"We may only have a few months left. Let us spend our last bit of time together," Mrs Townend pleaded.
"He has fallen at least three times while he has been in there," she said.
"They are killing two people with their tactics. It's a nightmare for both of us. "They think they are doing what's right, but it's wrong for us."
Leeds East MP George Mudie has branded the couple's treatment as "inhumane". Mrs Townend has hired a solicitor and is preparing to fight in court.
The 2005 Mental Capacity Act allows health bosses to decide Mr Townend is unable to look after himself and his nearest relative – his wife -– is not capable of that care.
The couple, both formerly widowed, married 15 years ago. They became friends after chatting at the cemetery while visiting their spouses' graves.
Mrs Townend said her husband has become increasingly depressed and cries every time she leaves after her daily visits.
She has spent thousands of pounds adapting her home to look after him. She also says allowing the NHS to bear the cost of his care when she can cope alone defies common sense.
"Harry would be better off at home - this is where he belongs," she said."They are taking away our marital rights and they are making us miserable."
She claimed over-zealous staff had accused her of speaking aggressively to her husband and had taken offence at her helping him remove his T-shirt and put pyjamas on.
"Mentally this is ruining him. Every time I get up to leave he says 'Don't you want me any more?' It breaks my heart.
"I have looked after him for years with this same condition, I know I can cope very well at home. Why can't they let him have the time he has left with his family?
"I don't want him to die in a care home."
Mr Mudie said: "The Government's policy is to keep people in their homes as long as possible, which makes it even more unbelievable that this couple are being separated in this inhumane way.
"The authorities were quite content to let Dorothy look after (Harry] before. At some stage they will have to justify it."
Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment on the Townends' case, citing "patient confidentiality".
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Weather for Leeds
Thursday 24 May 2012
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