[garinda]

Sorry for rehashing the front page story of this weekend's Observer, but I found it incredibly sad.

An eighty year old war veteran has been legally stopped fron caring for his eighty five year old wife by Lancashire Social Services.

His wife was admitted to the Royal Infirmary after suffering a stroke, then transfered to an old people's home in Clayton. His wife now suffers from dementia, but once a week for the past six weeks he has taken her home for the day and cared for her without any problem.

He decided that he could give his wife the full time care she deserved better himself. He wants to cook her favourite food and play her favourite music which she apparently sings along to. He took her away from the home in a taxi only to have her returned to the home by the police, and she has been legally placed in the care of the home for six months and isn't allowed to go home.

Does the State via Social Services have the right to dictate what is best for this woman, or does the man who has been married to her for over fifty years not know what is best for his wife? For one thing it would be more cost effective for the State to let her be cared for at home.

Social Services seem more than able to let children be abused by their carers, as seen in quite a few well documented cases, but refuse to turn a blind eye and let a man care at home for the woman he so obviously loves.

If anybody tries to bung me in a home whilst I'm still able to care for myself, shoot me. On second thoughts shoot the buggers that are trying to bundle me into the van.