How was this allowed to happen...

A mentally ill woman was discovered in a "mummified, almost skeletal state" after lying dead for more than three years in her flat.
I appreciate there were failings with the authorities, and it certainly looks like a complicated case but where the **** were the family in all that time? They've come out with bull **** about how they were unable to maintain contact with her after years of schizophrenia caused her to believe they would harm her. If they really wanted to check on her well being then they would have made every effort to do that.
Looks like they're now happy to start legal proceedings and have probably seen a nice pay day coming up.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-64400776

 

This World gets better - NOT ! Some disgusting human beings about.

 

I genuinly don't know where to start with this one. You'd have thought someone related, or some authority that had a vested interest in the property eg. Council re unpaid rates. Would have thought summat amiss.

 

It's beyond belief in this day and age with a family ( can't visit apparently) with mobile phones that someone can be left dead for THREE years. Iam sorry but there's no excuse for this imho.

 

Yes, I wonder if they'll donate ALL the payout to mental health research?

 

Bang on. And now the horrible ***** are taking legal action and blaming everyone but themselves. If they'd actually given a **** then I'm sure this poor lady would be alive today and getting the appropriate care she required.

 

I assume the legal action will read "We would like money because, after we chose not to check on our sister for 3 years, neither did you random strangers"

 

On the face of it this looks terrible but there will be some nuances here we dont have a clue about I would think. Does sound crap mind

 

Tragic. R I.P
Sister sounds a proper piece of work.

"She was abandoned and left to die.
"It's just heart-breaking to think of how she lived in her last few years, unable to ask for help, without anyone there for her."

 

Probably would have been best to reserve judgment.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-64431776

 

Some horrible comments in this thread. Nothing to do with the family, blame the system.

I've worked with families as a Care Coordinator in the past tearing their hair out because a loved one has cut ties and won't agree to share any information with them. It isn't their fault.

I don't like the judgmental comments above at all, imagine if that was someone judging your family like that? Should be ashamed of yourselves.

 

Completely disagree. It was 3 years, 3 ******* years for Christ's sake that she was dead in that property. My original post acknowledged that there were clear failures with the authorities / local services but I fully stand by what I said about the family as well and I'll say it again. They've seen a nice bit of compo coming their way. The family should be ashamed.

 

She was estranged from her family and the authorities wouldn't tell them where she lived because of privacy laws.

 

I'm not arguing with you, you are bang out of order and don't know what you're talking about.

 

Err...They knew where she lived!

 

Doesn't mean they could go in and speak to her though. It says they sent numerous letters, texts etc...

This should never have happened, but it is not the family who are to blame.

 

They did check on her though, loads of times. They got no response to any of their letters or texts and so went round knocking on the door multiple times and obviously got no response there either. They thought it was just because she was ignoring them as she had cut them off and they couldn’t get any services to intervene as she refused help from them too. They didn’t ignore her for three years and then come out of the woodwork sniffing for money, they spent three years trying to get information about her and trying to make contact with her.

 

It's just so sad. FWIW I think sometimes no one is solely to blame, as much as people might want to hold someone to account. Just a horrible, sad situation.

 

In your opinion!

I would be inclined to agree BUT having gone through a similar situation with my bi-polar sister who also had other serious mental health issues I would have to say that whilst the authorities have a lot to answer for the family are NOT blameless. Regardless of 'privacy laws' if someone was considered to be incapable of making rational decisions and at risk or actually self harming the family could surely have got her sectioned for her own safety.
I lost touch with my sister for considerable periods of time as due to her mood swings she moved around a lot including abroad. She also determined at one point to join a closed order convent which did not last long (long story). Ultimately she lived with us for a short period until managing to get a flat in a housing association nearby. At one point I gave evidence at a meeting at BSGH after which the decision was made to section her and she blamed me for not supporting her side of the argument but she was, at the time behaving irrationally (she could turn violent) on one of her her 'low' periods. Also, over a few decades she had made a few attempts at suicide with overdoses (albeit half hearted cries for help) Ultimately she succeeded but at that point she was at peace and had decided that is what she wanted. She had phoned the Samaritans explaining exactly what and why she was ding this before taking a mixture of drugs pretty much guaranteeing no recovery. In respect of her instructions and wishes Samaritans phone me 12 hours later to tell me, at which point we rushed round to her flat and she was still breathing but died a few days later in hospital.
Whilst I agree with you that individual circumstances in a near impossible situation means that this case is not black and white, I do feel that over 3 years the family could and should have been more proactive and even if not possible, now pointing the finger at the authorities whilst apparently absolving themselves entirely of any blame or responsibilty is out of order. Given the severity of the mental state of this woman though, ultimately she would have probably succumbed to her condition. Again my opinion.
To this day, I still wonder if there is some action I could have taken to prevent my sister's death.

 

It felt inappropriate to 'like' this; when what i wanted to say is thank you for sharing this on here, and so sorry for your loss.