It has been a trying week here in Derbyshire.
The weather has been cold, much colder than this time last year. We've had rain, snow, hail and thunder. However not as much rain as in Le Grand-Pressigny in May 2016 when these photos were taken. The old disused furniture factory was flooded. It was repurposed as a self storage facility a few years later.
The River Claise had burst its banks in May 2016.
We have been grappling with paperwork, documents and doctor's appointments for my dad, struggling with staggering incompetence indifference and ageism. Old people, especially very old people, seem to be shoved from pillar to post, further and further down the list of priority. He had to wait two weeks for a routine GP appointment for some form filling. The appointment had to be by telephone and was for between 8.30 am and 12.30 pm. A four hour slot. The call finally came in at 4.30 in the afternoon. Everyone else was more important than him, it seems.
The river at Abilly was in full flood down by the mill.
After all that, they got the paperwork wrong. It's no fun being very old and it's not much fun being the bossy daughter who has to sort it all out either.
Bon weekend !!
I thought for a moment you were back in France. Bon weekend indeed - or penwythnos da, as they say in Wales - it's going to chuck it down here...
ReplyDeleteMark, I wish we were, so much, but sadly not. It's now eight months since we left our house in France behind, the longest ever period by two months.
DeleteI looked at the picture of the flooded factory - and wondered if there was much being stored in there... My sympathies with you regarding form filling and bureaucracy. Some of the paperwork involved in retirement / moving has been unnecessarily complex. And I'm a capable (bossy) woman too. Heaven help the elderly with nobody to fight their corner. I was pleased that Norfolk County Council has revised its policies recently. A younger couple had struggled because they were penalised for not replying to letters. Both being blind, they'd asked repeatedly for communication to be by phone or email... And they hadn't been able to read the bits of paper from the NCC so of course they hadn't responded!
ReplyDeleteAngela, luckily, the factory was empty at that time and the river has not flooded since it began it's new purpose!
DeleteI have changed my post to read "indifference" rather than "incompetence". It's more a case of not doing a good job and not caring about it.
We provided bank details so that the council could set up a direct debit for some of Dad's bills and eight weeks later nothing has changed. Every time we phone them about it we're told the information is there but they haven't "joined up the dots yet".
We are in that position, not having a bossy son or daughter to fight our corner, and I have had many sleepless nights lately wondering how we can plan our future to make sure we can avoid the pitfalls without the help.
DeleteJean IT IS NOT altogether ageism. Elizabeth goes round and round with her sons paperwork etc. The best is usually on the phone when you end up back to the first number you called after speaking to five others... I think five is the record but could be wrong. I would have left it at INCOMPETANCE cause it really cannot be described as anything else. It drive Elizabeth crazy...
ReplyDeleteColin, it's all such hard work and it's exhausting. Unless someone has actually had to do this kind of thing I expect that they believe the system will "be there for them" when they need it. If only it didn't depend on organisations that are, as you say, incompetent, disorganised, indifferent and more motivated towards avoiding litigation than doing what is best for the person who needs help.
DeleteI know what you mean - I get all the bossy daughter jobs too! I’m thinking of swapping roles with my brother except I’m pretty useless at the top of a ladder
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that daughters of our age usually shoulder the responsibility for the caring whilst sons do the DIY. I wonder if it will still be the same in future generations.
DeleteI often use the word rubbish, but this is the first time I have seen it as an adjective for bad weather.
ReplyDelete