Stroke: Things Feel Out Of Control - A Daughter's Experience

Cochrane UK Trainees Podcast

Stroke: things feel out of control - a daughter’s experience. I think it’s quite humbling When you realise that It doesn’t matter how old Your mother is She’s still your mother. When that happens It is quite a shock, It is doubly a shock. I suppose then you think Well because she’s 86 Are the NHS going to really try As they might To keep her hale and hearty? The stress from the stroke I think really has to be Two-fold. First of all Supporting her And not encouraging her To be anxious About anything Because it’s all a bit rubbish just now, But we’re trying to get things Better for you. And also supporting her sister Because they’ve lived together Virtually all of their lives. So whilst there’s no kind of She doesn’t have a spouse any more, My father died in ‘96 There is someone there That I do need to support as well. So in amongst all that I’m having to do stuff at home And I’m having to keep going to work, And I’m not giving anything As much of the attention as I should do So I think I’m being stretched Across many different things, And I really don’t like that because I’m a bit more used To being in control. (This poem is read by Marilyn Kendall, a Senior Research Fellow at Edinburgh University).