Yesterday, being Sunday, we pop into our normal Sunday routine. I have been asked to be the ‘second care helper’ to assist the one (rather than two) care workers who get Meg washed, up and dressed in the mornings but at least I was forwarned about this and I like working with the allocated care worker (who is undergoing nursing training) in any case. It has always struck me that handling patients as a care assistant in a care agency is an excellent way of getting literally hands-on experience that must make nursing studies so much more relevant.
The political world awoke yesterday, Sunday, to the news of the untimely death of Alex Salmond, the one time leader of the SNP in Scotland. He had been attending a diplomacy forum in Northern Macedonia, had recently delivered a speech and was photographed with the other forum delegates. One can only surmise that he suffered a massive heart attack (now confirmed) as he was only 69 years of age. Alex Salmond has been described as the ‘Marmite’ of Scottish politics as love him or hate him, you could not ignore him. The adjective most used about him is that he was ‘monumental’ and in many ways he stood head and shoulders above all of the political leaders of his generation. His later years were marred by allegations of sexual misconduct for which he was tried but subsequently acquitted but this forced his resignation from the SNP that he had led for many years. He founded his own political party, Alba, to continue to campaign for Scottish independence until the day that he died. It was the 2012 agreement he signed with then British prime minister David Cameron to hold a referendum on Scottish independence that may be most widely remembered across the UK as his legacy. Some would argue if it were not for the political talent of Alex Salmond, there would have been no Scottish independence referendum at all in 2014. Whilst the Scots parliament is constituted with a degree of proportional representation, under Alex Salmond’s leadership the SNP achieved a degree of prominence that held a remarkable sway over Scottish politics and, of course, Alex Salmond, was not only the leader of his party but the Scottish First Minister. Tributes have been paid to him from all parts of the political spectrum, including even the King ad there seems to be a universal feeling that no one can quite believe that he has gone at such a comparatively young age. Alex Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was leader of the SNP on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014. He resigned as first minister after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum resulted in a 55% to 45% vote to stay in the UK. He launched his rival Scottish independence party, Alba, in 2021 after his relationship with his successor Nicola Sturgeon fractured.
After we had viewed the Politics programmes, Meg and I went on our way down the hill to collect our Sunday newspaper. This journey there and back turned out to be more eventful than usual. On our way down, we met some near neighbours who taking care of a dog for a friend and they were taking it for its daily exercise. They had hoped that the dog would do its business whilst out for a walk with them but despite a tramp of several miles, this event had not yet occurred. Then we bumped into our Irish friend and wished him well for the investigatory procedure which he is going to have on Tuesday next. As the day was a little cooler than of late, I had Meg wrapped in the new, and recently purchased, Russian ex-military blanket and she was also dressed in a warm jumper, a Manchester University scarf and another croqueted woollen blanket across her knees. On the way back, though, some of this arrangement started to unravel and the large military blanket fell to the floor (twice). This occurs when we go over the ‘bobbly’ bits on pavements of which there are many so I am going to have to find a new technique to wrap it around Meg somewhat more securely. The journey down the hill is relatively straightforward as apart from a steep uphill section to join the main Kidderminster Road, most of the journey is a fairly gentle downhill.Also, over the weeks, I have no compunction in wheeling Meg down the slip road rather than the adjacent pavement as the tarmac is so much smoother and the cambre more favourable.The journey back apart from one or two severe sections is not as bad as might be imagined as if the slope is a gentle incline, then the weight of my body propels the wheelchair forward, But on the way back and half way up the hill, my fingers start to feel the pressure and to get numb or tingle. To help to counteract this, at the half way point, I don a pair of rubberised gardening gloves and this help a little to relieve the pressure on my fingers. Upon our return, one of the more experienced workers turned up and we both predicted that the second detailed carer would not turn up and indeed she did not. So for the second time in the day, I was detailed as the second carer. Starting from next week, I am going to document each of these instances because they are becoming rather too frequent.
In the late afternoon, I FaceTimed my sister in her hospital ward. Her two daughters happened to be there at visiting time so we managed to have a general chat. My sister is still in a certain degree of pain but looking forward to some respite care in a local residential home in Knaresborough which sounds as though it might foot the bill, being both near her family doctor and not too far away from her two sons. This respite care may well turn out to be a little more permanent but we are taking things one or two weeks at a time. My sister seems to have her mind committed to full residential care as she has lost so much confidence about coping at home, particularly at night when typically there are no care packages available. The costs seem pretty enormous so the family are making calculations about how long my sister’s capital will last before the family home will have to be sold to continue to pay for her care.