A heartbroken son has claimed his 88-year-old mum has been left to die slowly from "dehydration and malnutrition" after being sent back to a care home from hospital.
Rob Taylor, a police rural and wildlife crime co-ordinator, said his mum was in an unnamed hospital in North Wales after suffering a stroke around four weeks ago. However, doctors started end of life care, with food and fluids being withdrawn, after telling Mr Taylor there was nothing more they could do, and that his mother would have to go back to the care home.
Mr Taylor posted an emotional video on Twitter on Thursday in which he claimed his mother was being left "to die slowly slowly from dehydration and malnutrition in front of our very eyes." While Mr Taylor did not criticise nurses or care staff, he said the experience was a "harrowing" one for the family and said he believed his mother's end of life care was "inhumane," North Wales Live reports.
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Speaking in the video, Mr Taylor described the treatment of his mother, claiming: "This is not a story about illegality or legality, it's about ethics. My mum is still alive - 24 to 25 days in without any food, any water, no IV drip, nothing - she's still alive - and it's inhumane and absolutely harrowing to the family and inhumane.
He added: "That such a precious lady has been allowed to lie on a bed in a care home - in fairness being seen once a day by a district nurse and they do an outstanding job, it's nothing against them or the care home - but it's the ethics that she is just left to die, slowly from dehydration and malnutrition in front of our very eyes.
"This is how you would treat people back in the 11th and 12th Century - not 2023. It's absolutely harrowing. There is nothing we can do, absolutely nothing we can do - and they have been wonderful, it's just that it's incredible that she's probably suffering and it's heartbreaking, it's absolutely heartbreaking for us."
Andrea Hughes, director of nursing for BCUHB’s east integrated health community, said: “We fully appreciate what a difficult time this is for Mr Taylor and his family. While we cannot comment on individual cases in any detail, I can confirm that we are aware of Mr Taylor’s concerns and we remain in daily contact with him to ensure that Mrs Taylor receives the most appropriate care.”
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