For You Grandad

This is one of my articles I wrote for my news and feature writing module at university, its about my Grandad having Parkinson's and how my Nan deals with caring for him 24/7, an issue that is close to my heart. Been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is something no individual wants to hear. Over the years the condition progressively deteriorates leaving the individual in what can only be described as a shell of their former self. William Powell has lived a good and prosperous life with his of 56 years Eileen. Becoming the carer of her husband Eileen has battled with such emotional turmoil over the last eight years she truly is an inspiration to us all. When William was first diagnosed with Parkinson's he took the attitude that there "was nothing wrong with me" and went about his normal business. Over the last two years the disease has completely taken over his life. Independence is something everyone takes for granted but to have that taken away from you after so many years of been able to stand on your own two feet would be hard for anyone to come to come to terms too not at least a sufferer of Parkinson's. What Eileen finds really hard to comprehend is the fact her husband was the person she always had to rely upon, he was the man of the house it was his sole responsibility to care for her till death did they part. Life doesn't always go according to plan, six months ago under the doctor's request William went for a MRI scan as his memory loss had become so severe they thought he he may have Alzheimer's, Eileen said of this matter: "I prayed he didn't have it, it hurts enough to see the role reversal in our lives I am now his main carer it is my sole responsibility to make sure he is OK". William may be fortunate that he didn't have another life changing disease as the one he already does have has a strain on his normal day to day goings on. Every morning Eileen has to dress him because left to his own devices clothes are put on back to front, attention has to be on William at all times during the day, in one instance when this didn't happen he fell down the stairs bruising all of his back, worry for their safety is clearly evident from their family members as they have daily visits from their son Steven. Over the past few months there has been some developments into the care of William, he now goes to a day centre every Friday giving him the chance to socialise and be independent for a good few hours. Even Eileen has been asked to go to a "support for carers" group something she has decided to decline because she doesn't want to leave William. It's clear that been a carer isn't a 9-5 job, its a lifestyle the pressure of which a lot of individuals couldn't handle. Eileen barely has any time for herself and she tells us how this affects her emotionally: "Since the conditions worsened, I get frustrated with him and I have no time for myself, I just about have enough to do the bare essentials like shopping". Since the Parkinson's worsened Eileen has been put on anti-depressants, William may have contracted the disease but both of them are suffering because of it. Been stuck in a house all day just the two of them must add to the pressure of their relationship. Here Eileen explains why they don't go out much: "When we go out William always wants to do things his way, he has always been an independent man and he struggles to realise that when were out we need to do things my way. He doesn't like escalators and I can't just leave him when were out." It seems the only option for Eileen to keep a close eye on William is for them to stay at home most days. It's not only the independence of William that is lost it's also that of his wife Eileen, a side effect of Parkinsons's is to have disturbed sleep patterns, this affects Eileen as well as William and when a typical day for them both will start at 6am and won't end till about ten pm, its easy to see how tiring their day can really be. Eileen's main concern is for William to take his medication four times a day. It's hard for William to get out in the day, one memory Eileen shares is from when he was still driving: "He was determined to still drive even though his memory wasn't so good, he took the car out and he was gone for three hours, I was beside myself with worry so I had to call my son he couldn't find him. I thought I'd lost him." Due to the Parkinson's Williams memory capacity has shrunk, to have a conversation requires a lot of patience because mid-sentence he will have forgotten the subject, simple things most people take for granted he can't do. For a person who used to have to have his belongings neat and just so it's a shame to see that he now leaves things out and a new daily routine is to put his newspaper in the pantry. Eileen and Williams is truly inspirational after 56 years of marriage they are still going strong regardless of what life throws at them. Life doesn't always deal the card we want but even though Williams condition is slowly deteriorating both he and Eileen battle on with the help of family, showing a new dimension of unconditional love. Love you both very much x