I = Interviewer
R = Respondent

R
At the moment I am a very, very unhappy lady. I’m unhappy because I cannot see. I cannot hear. After a very active life, and a life whereby I lived very healthily – I lived… I was a very, very keen golfer. Did all my exercises. Ate the correct foods and hoped for a very health old age. Unfortunately, since I have age related ___ degeneration, all my hopes have gone to the… Gone. And I’m very… I feel that my life is only an existence now. Due entirely to ___ degeneration. And the fact that we do not appear to be making any progress as far as, err, treatment for ___. (Pause) Until I was… It’s now… (Pause) About what? 19… 1998. When I first had trouble with my eyes and very rapidly they deteriorated because of ___ degeneration and now I am completely blind. I can’t tell the difference between light and day. But after living a very active life and a very, um, active professional life, to come into this sort of life where one cannot see, one cannot hear… And where society gives you very little attention. I get a same load of rubbish through my postal service as everybody else. And even when the RVI writes to give me a 6 monthly, um… (Pause) A six monthly, er, consultation, they send it on paper. On a little… Tiny print. And I cannot read it. I have nobody – all my family are dead. I really did feel that I was saving up for the pension, etc. for a good old age and I find that my old age – because of ___ degeneration – is nothing but an existence. I do have carers come in. And I must say that the carers try – most of them try – but… (Pause) It’s… It’s a very, very poor service. Through Social Services. I have a carer comes in in the morning. And to be dressed like a baby is an insult. My brain, because of… I have a pretty good, active brain and I can lay claim to that. And I feel that my brain, now, because of lack of use… You know, the old adage – if you don’t use it you lose it. And my skills have gone. I cannot prepare a meal. I cannot even pour into a cup. My hands are so arthritic, I can’t do anything. And this, I’m quite sure, is because I have not used them. You know? I’ve lost the skills. And I sit for hour and hours and hours, entirely on my own. My brain – which was good, excellent (pause) is deteriorating. My memory is deteriorating, merely because I can’t put more facts into it. I am totally depend… I can’t see television like anybody else and I spend long, long, lonely hours by myself. With nobody to talk to. Even my voice is being affected for lack of use. (Pause) And I… There was, I believe that in the North East – with the two universities – Durham University ___ department, Newcastle University of ___ department, they got together calling themselves “North East Care”. Especially looking into, urm, (pause) as to what they could do for older… ___ troubles and older people. And I haven’t from them for a long time. You know, this is what’s happened. We appear to be put into a category where, “You can’t do anything for that.” You know, “Just keep them alive as long as they live.” And that’s exactly how I feel about it now. And I feel very, very distressed. A – I think Social Services don’t look after older people. I have not seen a Social Workers… A Social Worker for months now. Nobody bothers to see how you’re getting on or anything else. I find it difficult to use the telephone. (Pause) Because my hearing is now affected. If I can’t absorb things it would appear that the hearing becomes affected. And I’ve nobody to talk to. The voice is being affected. Instead of having a strong voice as I used to be – I was Chairman, urm, of the… The Speaker’s Club. The Newcastle Speaker’s Club. At the University. I was, um, (pause) president there for a long time. And believe me, to think that I could address a public meeting at one time – and now I look at myself, a wreck. And a wreck entirely due, in my opinion, to age related, neglected ___ degeneration. Neglected by Social Service, neglected by research. And if anything can be done at all… (Pause) If there’s anything going on, please let the patient know so at least they might get a bit of heart. If not for themselves, at least that it’s not going to be an ongoing trouble for younger people coming up. It really is a serious situation. (Pause) What else can I say? I’m very active… I’m still active in meetings. I am a member of the committee of the Elder’s Council. And I am on the committee on the, erm, Quality of Life in Newcastle. The Council has helped us as far as money is concerned. And I do attend the meetings. They do send a taxi down for me to attend the meetings. And I, all the time, I talk particularly about the older people in Newcastle who are on their own, living alone and are very, very… (Pause) What can we say? It’s just an existence, really. And they are neglected. There’s no two ways about it. We are not getting the attention that we need. There was, at one time, as far as Newcastle’s concerned… (Pause) Erm… (Pause) Erm… A girl used to come from the West End and took me out once or twice. And then she said that she couldn’t come back and that was the end of it. Nobody bothers whether you’re out or in, as long as you’re still alive. And that’s all. I do have this Care Call thing for round my neck. And if I fall down – which I have done several times – press this. Kept into hospital for a while, sent home again, and the existence just goes on… And I am – I really feel that I don’t live because I was, as I said, I lived a very active life. I had a very good, professional position in charge of schools. (Pause) And everything was snatched away from me as soon as the ___ degeneration developed. And it’s a very, very sad situation. I do plead that people who get ___ get more attention because I feel that we all feel we are very much neglected. We are not… We’re just… (Pause) Er… We’re… Let me point out as an example, when I go to these meetings I can’t hear. And people talk very quickly nowadays. And use a lot of initials when they address… Talking about various societies. I don’t know what they are. I’m left… Really left stranded. Only when, er, blind people with ___ are, er, acknowledged. Or talked about, then I come in and demand – as I’m trying to do now – demand that something is done to try and find, to help these people. (Pause) I cannot make a positive suggestion because, of course, this is not my line of profession, but it would be wonderful if more time was spent. If Social Services gave a little more attention to the seriousness of blind people. The trouble is, of course, if you have ___ degeneration, it isn’t obvious and it isn’t a quick killer. I think about things like cancer of the lungs, where people have… 70% of the people who get cancer of the lungs are heavy smokers. They have at least contributed to their illness. But to get ___ degeneration, it’s just because you’ve got older. And surely to goodness sake we’re not now going to be punished because we get old. (Pause)

I
Could I ask you to reflect on how you manage your daily life on your own?

R
Yes, right (simultaneously). (Pause) As far as every day is concerned – everyday living – I do have a carer who comes in on the mornings at about 9:00 or 9:30. And she’s with me for an hour while I have a shower and she makes breakfast. She looks at my clothes and sees that they’re not spotted or stained in any way. And then, (pause) erm, (pause) if they are she washes them once a week. It is a very, very poor service in so much as you don’t have a regular carer. And one person could come one day and she can, er, do just what she can fit in in that hour and a half. And then that is the end of it. She does not, erm, (pause) do any of it. Somebody else might come tomorrow and not know exactly what’s to be done. If Social Workers could have a regular carer… Who could be a regular carer, it would improve that service enormously. I do have somebody who comes back again at tea time and warms up a cooked meal. You know, one of these frozen meals that you put in the microwave. And I do believe, also, that erm, (pause) that they are not very healthy meals. They are not very good meals. But we just have to, you know, put up with them. Some of them are very poor indeed. What else can I say about my daily living except that I sit for hours and hours on my own? Erm, the doctor comes and sees me once in 3 weeks. (Pause) But I sit for hours… The only treasure that I have in my life is my little pussy cat. And in fact, I’m, I’m a bit obsessed with my cat. He is my pet. And I would have liked to emphasise that fact that when disabled old people living on their own could have a pet… It’s a great solace for them. And I don’t think anybody bothers very much about helping out the… Looking after the pet. I think I would like something a little bit… A little attention paid to the pets.

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1705 words in length.

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