Second Childhood

Categories: spirituality

Date: 16 July 2009 21:17:23

When I studied health and social care in sixth form, I remember being told that often, as people become elderly, they regress into a second childhood. Having never worked with the elderly, I'd never properly experienced this. Until now. My grandad is in his late 80's and has been steadily deteriorating over the last 6 months. Earlier this week he was admitted to a secure psychiatric ward as he became uncontrollable on the normal ward. He's been shouting at the nurses, ripping out his IV access and screaming for 6 hours at a time. Sounds like one of my 4 year old patients, I thought, as I read the latest email update from Mum.

It's just really sad. He was in the army during the 2nd world war (in communications rather than fighting), he's brought up two children, he's enjoyed over 60 years of marriage and now has four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He's had an amazing life. And it's just sad that it's ending like this. I almost wish that he would just die, so that he didn't have to go through all the pain and anxiety that must be causing him to scream hour after hour. But then I feel like the worst grand daughter in the world.