Dying man found with maggots crawling out of legs 'despite police being asked to check him twice'

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"When we went through the door it was like a scene from a horror movie"

Tragic: Peter was found slumped on the sofa unable to move
A dying man was found covered in maggots by his devastated sister despite police being called TWICE to check on him.
Carole Mitchell was left stunned after finding brother Peter slumped on his sofa with maggots crawling out of his legs last Wednesday.
The tragic ex-squaddie was rushed to hospital, but died on Monday and an inquest is to be held to determine his cause of death.
But Carole has criticised Lancashire Police for failing to do a welfare check on her brother despite two separate requests.
Carole, who has arachnoiditis - a debilitating spinal condition - said she rang 101, the police's non-emergency number, to request a welfare check last Tuesday and was asked by the operator why she could not do it herself.
Mrs Mitchell, who lives in North Yorkshire, said it was a two-hour drive for her and she has a disability. She was then told to check with the local hospitals, but was refused help as she could not prove she was a realtive.


Cascade
Devastating: Despite efforts to save him, Peter died on Monday
Carole called 101 again the following day and was put through to a number which rang unanswered for eight minutes.
It was at that point Carole, who had not heard from her brother since July 15, decided to go to his house in Accrington, Lancashire, to check on him with her daughter.
"When we went through the door it was like a scene from a horror movie. The first thing that hit you was the smell and then all you could see were bluebottles flying around," said Carole, 55.
She added: "It was my daughter who found him.
"He was collapsed in his chair and there was blood and excrement everywhere. He was covered in maggots and bluebottles.
"His eyes were open but he couldn't talk.
"He looked like a homeless person. The hair growth and his nails. He actually looked better after he had passed away, which is an awful thing to say.

"He was mentally aware of everything that was going on, but couldn't talk.
"Me and my daughter will be traumatised for life."


Cascade
Tragic: Peter was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital but nothing could be done to save him
Carole said her 64-year-old brother had lost a substantial amount of weight and she said doctors had told her they would not be able to resuscitate her brother because of how weak he was.
She added: "I don't know if that 24 hours would have made a difference, but you never know.
"But even so, nobody realised he was there for three weeks. I am angry with myself."
Mr Mitchell, a former soldier in the Royal Corps of Signals had suffered a stroke in November 2013 and although he had limited mobility and used a zimmer frame he lived independently.
A Lancashire police spokeswoman said: "I can confirm a complaint has been made and we are looking in to it."
Mr Mitchell leaves behind sister Carole, brother Ian, two daughters, a son, grandchildren, and a niece.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dying-man-found-maggots-crawling-6278077

Years ago there would have been a District Nurse visiting him every day.   What a terrible way to die.

Exactly Eddie, visiting isn't always easy.  It's hard enough to visit my dad, takes about 2 hours but OH has a works van that he is not allowed to use for personal use.  Our car is with his eldest daughter to ferry around his youngest, who is blind and you can bet every time we want to use it she has mucked it up in some way.  He pays the tax, MOT, insurance etc and we have to book weeks in advance.  My Dad, even though he started the emergency response in north Norfork won't use it.  It's only for the wobbly, he says!  I have an arrangement with one of his friends and the lady next door, but one fortnight they both went away at the same time and I was frantic when he didn't answer the phone.  As it happens, he'd taken himself out for dinner!

eddie wrote:My mother in law died, alone, in her home.
She lived four hours away from us, so just popping there wasn't easy.
My sis in law and other half were phoning her from the Wednesday to the Friday - it wasn't unusual for her to not answer the phone though, she'd often ignore it, due to emotional and mental problems.

On the Friday, I rang the police and told them she was on her own and not contactable and asked them to check on her.

They knocked and got no reply so then rang and asked permission to break the door down, which they did, and found her dead.

In this instance the police were brilliant, fast and very sympathetic.

I'm pleased their response was better. There was a concern for safety raised and it is part of the police job to respond to check on the person.

Hahahaha they start to worry us as we worried them when we were in our teens!

Absolutely, and I'm going to do the same to my lot!

sassy wrote:Absolutely, and I'm going to do the same to my lot!

Oh absolutely!! What's the point of getting old otherwise?

I don't think its the police job to check on people in this way unless there is some serious reason why no one else can do it, this is more of a social service thing, or god forbid a community thing, police would have to attend for breaking in of course but its sad that people's first response is to get someone else to do what they should be doing and when it goes wrong blame everyone else. You just can't hand over your responsibilities to the 'authorities' all the time. Three children and a couple of nephews or whatever this shouldn't have happened, even the sister managed to get there when she had to, so she obviously isn't house bound, no one has been there for a considerable time I reckon.
I lived in a small village where there was an elderly lady with no family to speak of, when she became ill the village rallied around, people made sure her fire was lit, meals were made, bed changed the district nurse took care of bathing and she was hardly alone especially towards the end, it was mainly the other pensioners who spent time with her, while the cleaning and meals was done by families. Although I get that times have changed, no one has the time now - unfortunately.

Concern for safety checks are carried out by the police. It is part of their job. In this case the relative rang 101 and advised he hadn't been heard from and she was worried. The police should have attended his address that day.

Fair enough in extreme cases but people shouldn't expect the authorities or state to take on their responsibilities for keeping a check on relatives. Your parents took care of you or at least most did, then its your responsibility to do the same for them. If you have put a relative into care or they are in hospital and they aren't taken care of, fair enough you can blame the care facility/hospital or whatever. I know its difficult I've been there, got the t shirt and the scars to prove it, it disrupted my life greatly. I took care of my parents and my father in law during brief illnesses, my mother in law was a different story, with dementia, much more difficult to take care of but we did it. Maybe taking care of elderly relatives should be treated more like maternity leave for those who work, after all they save the state millions.

Nems wrote:Concern for safety checks are carried out by the police. It is part of their job. In this case the relative rang 101 and advised he hadn't been heard from and she was worried. The police should have attended his address that day.

That's what happened in my mother in laws case. Hers was a tiny village though so perhaps the police have more time for these things?

The man obviously hasn't had any attention for a considerable time by the look of him, from relatives or anyone else, maybe he wouldn't allow it, but its up to relatives to set something up, if he's not caring for himself or is unable to do so. I would be mortified if he was my relative and not blame other people.

eddie wrote:

Nems wrote:Concern for safety checks are carried out by the police. It is part of their job. In this case the relative rang 101 and advised he hadn't been heard from and she was worried. The police should have attended his address that day.

That's what happened in my mother in laws case. Hers was a tiny village though so perhaps the police have more time for these things?

Maybe but all forces have to do it. A concern for safety by its very nature could be a murder or suicide or accident or illness etc so the police should be first at what could be a crime scene.

Obviously I don't put details but we have had about half dozen concerns for safety to report this year.

There's a clear case here of people trying to shift the blame for this poor mans condition on to the family or relatives when it's not clear just what presures they may be under themselves in trying to cope or even if the are near enough to help in any meaningful way.
The man has been negleted and it's not clear why he was alowed to get to that level. The state has a responsibility to look after the health of all its citizens and surely they must have know this man required medical assistance and care at fairly regulat intervals - care that the family surely could not do for themselves
Who are we to judge.

Vintage wrote:The man obviously hasn't had any attention for a considerable time by the look of him, from relatives or anyone else, maybe he wouldn't allow it, but its up to relatives to set something up, if he's not caring for himself or is unable to do so.  I would be mortified if he was my relative and not blame other people.

Completely agree, as it is becoming less and less that people care for those who raised them or who are relatives. To say the state has a responsibility is 100 percent wrong and can only be justified if that person is estranged from his family. If this person has relatives then they should be doing something out of due care and responsibility. Today sadly so many elderly are shipped off into care homes by families which to me is appalling when there was a time when people took their parents into their home or were near by to help. Today we have technology which can alert us to problems to be on hand. Yes I can understand people sometimes can live far away, but even then you would do your best to see they had the upmost care. To me if the family was concerned with his health they could have seeked help with social services or like you say even ask of those who live by. I find it poor that the Police are being blamed here when much is unknown and much could have been done by the families themselves. Yes its difficult to look after people when they are older but then we were raised from babies when we were very helpless and am sure to many parents a great strain and headache raising us, but they did so because they loved us and fail to see why that cannot be replicated in return when they are in need of help.

All the best and its nice to some have this virtue still today and for that I hold in high regard

Irn Bru wrote:There's a clear case here of people trying to shift the blame for this poor mans condition on to the family or relatives when it's not clear just what presures they may be under themselves in trying to cope or even if the are near enough to help in any meaningful way.
The man has been negleted and it's not clear why he was alowed to get to that level. The state has a responsibility to look after the health of all its citizens and surely they must have know this man required medical assistance and care at fairly regulat intervals  - care that the family surely could not do for themselves
Who are we to judge.

Who are "they"? It doesn't sound like he asked for help, and the "State" are not mind readers. His relatives should have checked up on him though.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Irn Bru wrote:There's a clear case here of people trying to shift the blame for this poor mans condition on to the family or relatives when it's not clear just what presures they may be under themselves in trying to cope or even if the are near enough to help in any meaningful way.
The man has been negleted and it's not clear why he was alowed to get to that level. The state has a responsibility to look after the health of all its citizens and surely they must have know this man required medical assistance and care at fairly regulat intervals  - care that the family surely could not do for themselves
Who are we to judge.

Who are "they"? It doesn't sound like he asked for help, and the "State" are not mind readers. His relatives should have checked up on him though.

It doesn't sound like yes so we are not sure. Was the man alreadt receiving care and not folowed up? We don't know do we?

The state has a responsiblity to provide care for all it's citizens and family have a part to play in that in making sure they get it.

Like I say - who are we to judge the family responible based on an article when we do not know all the facts.

Anyway, I'm off up the road for quick couple of pints befire I die

Keep my seat warm as I may manage back

Irn Bru wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Who are "they"? It doesn't sound like he asked for help, and the "State" are not mind readers. His relatives should have checked up on him though.

It doesn't sound like yes so we are not sure. Was the man alreadt receiving care and not folowed up? We don't know do we?

The state has a responsiblity to provide care for all it's citizens and family have a part to play in that in making sure they get it.

Like I say - who are we to judge the family responible based on an article when we do not know all the facts.

Well he didn't claim DLA, and his sister said he liked to be independent. Who should have done something? Do social services just know about these things without being told? If someone goes to the doctor, does he/she offer some kind of care? No, people have to apply for it don't they?

You say the State should have looked after him, but you don't know the facts either, so you don't know if he asked for help.