Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween and more importantly Happy Birthday to my lovely sister-in-law Catriona.

The clocks went back overnight here in Scotland for the end of British Summertime, a summer we never got if you lived in my area. Two hours here and there of sunshine on a frigid cold rainy day do not a summer make.

So clocks went back an hour, so one hour longer in bed eh?! Not so for someone with my disabilities all this amounted to was an extra hour of painful tossing and turning while attempting to fall asleep. At quarter to 3 this morning I was still trying to get comfortable enough to actually fall asleep. I was awoken barely 4 hours on with a crippling back pain which I had to try and move through gritted teeth and some tears I am not ashamed to admit to ease the pain enough to rest for at least an hour or so before even thinking of getting up and starting my Sunday.



I was originally going to have a shower with the help of my Mother as I can't physically or safely do so alone despite having safety bar grips installed and a special overhead disabled shower installed by the social services. I was in too much pain, discomfort, stiffness and unable to physically get into the shower even with help that my Mother made do with having me sit on the toilet seat, bend forward using the end of the bath for balance and leaning onto while she used a handheld shower which plugged onto the bath taps to wash my hair so I don't look like a homeless bum when I attend my Rheumatology appointment at the hospital tomorrow.

No offence to any homeless persons out there, washing my hair is a difficult activity which needs to be done by my Mother as I can't reach my arms/hands over my head to do so myself.

Unable to sleep last night I spent more than 2 hours watching video clips and video blogs on You Tube about disabled hate crimes in the UK. It was quite frankly a disturbing and very distressing find.

I am no novice to bullying, especially bullying spurred on by disability. No matter what the Police, Government and Politicians like to believe and talk about disabled hate crime exists. Has existed for decades and is only getting worse with the publicity around the Welfare Reform Bill.

I like all tax payer and citizens of the UK hold anyone who perform benefit fraud in contempt but all the rhetoric put forth by this government is only feeding into the cesspool of anti-disabled sentiment. Those looking for an easy target have now got basically this governments go-ahead to blame this vulnerable minority for all the ills of this country. Debt and other problems written off as being caused by those least able to defend themselves. As news stories attest the new system of assessment is flawed and causing hardship for those the welfare state is supposed to be there to protect. Instead they are being made into an easy scape goat by those who should be protecting them.

I am greatly disturbed that our own government is themselves perpetrating a hate crime against those most at risk, our disabled and ill. Including those terminally ill who are being denied any dignity or support in their final days and instead are vilified and abused when at their lowest point. Their last days should be made as comfortable and they should be given as much dignity as possible as their own bodies kill them. As someone who has nursed more than 3 relatives, including an beloved aunt who died before she reached retirement age, with terminally cancer I can tell you how watching them suffer affected me and how disgusted at how our society and our government are now treating such people.

How many carer and disabled have to die, to be killed or take their own lives before our supposedly civilized society wakes up and says enough is enough. This madness must stop before the death toll rises any further. Human decency alone should dictate this.

To the government I say one thing, "Charity begins at home!" stop treating our disabled, elderly and ill as criminals and start treating them as victims or at least human beings.