"Before They Call, I Will Answer, While They Are Still Speaking, I Will Hear." Part Five.

One day, Eric said, “I want to make sure my funeral is all paid for.” I looked on the internet for him and found a Company. I arranged for the date and time for the man to come to his flat, and explain all the packages that they do and what he could expect would happen, what he could get for his money. I was there. Eric chose a £5,000 package, that they would give, at his death, he paid if off in one payment. As with all of his bills, when they arrived, I would go to the post office and pay the whole bill in one go. He didn’t have a direct debit. We had gone in the taxi one day, years before for his mobile phone company, insisted that he paid, by direct debit, for the tablet, that they had given him, (He didn’t ask for it) Nor did he need a tablet, he didn’t have internet. As we went into the bank by appointment, it was a very short time there, because they wanted a photo ID of him, he has spent most of his adult life in mental health facilities, and it just didn’t happen, for where he was in hospitals, he didn’t need it. I then explained that to the phone company who then wanted their tablet back! I sent it back to them.       

Eric had lots of health issues; he was also a recluse. I had arranged for him to have his toe nails cut at his flat. Julie was the one who came each year. She was fantastic, so much so that one year I used her too to cut my toe nails. I did try too to get his eyes tested at his home, but with one thing, and another, it didn’t happen.

He had a lovely walk-in shower, but he refused to use it. so, his paid carers, in twos had to give his hand washes, as he sat on his sofa! He would not listen to reason. Thankfully, there was a nice thick throw, on his sofa.

In his new flat, he had the intercom system set up, so if he needed help, he only had to press the button of the item that was around his neck. And wherever he was in his flat, he would be heard and they would be able to speak to him.

One day, he pressed the button, and after a chat, the ambulance came to him very quickly. They left, after they did lots of tests and reassured him. Then the next day he did it again, and the same thing happened, they arrived quickly and after tests and reassurance they left.

The third day, he did the same thing, it seemed he was unsettled in his mind. This time they took him to the hospital, I was informed. This was also the first covid lockdown.

Those who experienced the first covid lockdown, will never forget it. The whole thing was surreal.

That was the Friday. They decided, that they would set him up with an advocate, a support help, that would go to his flat and sit and chat with him, someone who would be with him each day. They also wanted him to have a social worker, for after he moved to his nice new flat, the social work ended, which was a shame. It was decided, he would now stay in hospital until these two things were set up.

We were not allowed to visit, so each day Eric would ring me, and say, “Can you bring some KFC.”  My reply was always the same, “You are not allowed visitors, no one is, because of covid, so I can’t bring you KFC,” I would always add, “When you come out, I will get you KFC.”

The following Friday, it was still the same brief conversation, that we had all week. I didn’t hear from him on Saturday, then the hospital rang me on Sunday and said, “Eric is going to die today, can you please come and visit him!” I said, “DIE TODAY?” I was shocked at that statement. I said, “What is wrong with him?” She said, “He has covid.” I said, “Well if he has covid, I am not going in!” Shaking I text my cousins and brothers on our WhatsApp group the shocking info that I had just received. Garry rang me and said, “I will go and visit him.” I said, “OK, be careful.” He said, “I will ring the hospital now, to see which ward he is on,” I said, “OK.” Less than a minute later Garry rang me back and said, “I rang the hospital, and they told me, “He has died!” None of us could believe it! I was about to leave the house in 10 minutes to go to work. I text on my works WhatsApp to let them know, “I will be late for work, as my brother Eric has just died, I have to let other family members know.” Work colleagues, quickly said, “Don’t come in, your shift will be covered, we are SO sorry for your loss.” On reflection, personally I think Eric was already dead when she rang me, from the hospital.

It was an odd time anyway, covid time, but to deal with a brother’s death, was the first time for me. I kept thinking, why did he keep pressing that button?? If he hadn’t, I felt he would still be alive today. But I couldn’t stop him pressing it.

I was told, “Come and collect his belongings.” I went to the section outside an office, to collect, his things I was told, “It is sealed in a double plastic bag, you are NOT to open it for two days, it is not safe.” The only problem with that was, his key to his locked cupboard was in that plastic bag. And I needed the funeral information that was in that locked pine cupboard. The Manager told me, “If anything of his, is left in the flat after 7 days, he will be paying rent for the month.” Paul and I were not going to let that happen.

Without gloves, Paul ripped open the little plastic bag with all his few things in, and took out the key. I with gloves threw his mobile phone in the bin and everything else. I was fearful, and wondered what would happen to us, now that we had opened the bag within minutes after arriving at Eric’s flat. What airborne thing had we exposed ourselves to? Would be next?

We had a lot to do in 7 days. Would we be able to do in? And in lockdown?

At the ‘care home,’ there was a large recycle clothes bank in the car park at front of the building, on the left-hand side. There were no charity shops open, so now all his cloths were nice and new, and in good condition, some were still brand new with tags, that he had received as birthday and Christmas gifts and not worn them. I asked Eva at Church, who supports small charities, “Do you need, new clothes, they are brand new with tags?” Eva replied, “Yes please.” I also asked her the next day, “Do you need for your charities a new microwave, and a brand-new pine bed with all its linen, everything is brand new, the bed had not been slept in at all!” Eva replied, “I will ask my son, to hire a van, and he will come and get anything we want to give him, including the new bed.” I was thrilled that it would be going to a good cause.

The next day her son, Luke arrived with a huge van, he took the microwave, and took the lovely pine table, that was in the old flat, then he and Paul went in the bedroom, first they took out the lovely memory foam mattress and put that in the van, then they went in the bedroom to take out the pine bed, Paul had glued it all together, so it would be strong and secure! Unfortunately, the small bedroom was too small to get the bed out of the bedroom! It would not bend, nor go round the corner, so after many attempts, unless it was smashed up, it was unable to leave the bedroom, as it was flat packed and fitted in the room. It very sadly had to stay. I explained to the Manager, “Please can we let the brand-new pine bed frame stay?” Eric has never slept in it?” She looked at it, and agreed it could stay and they, would not charge Eric, for leaving an item in the flat.

The next thing we had to sort was the two-seater sofa. I rang the council, to arrange for them to come and collect it. I was told, “You need to pay for its collection first on-line then before the date of its collection it must be completely covered in clear dust covers and taped all over, and left outside in the carpark, if the cover is torn and it gets wet, we will leave it.” Someone told us where to go to get them, we bought three as they were huge and together, we covered it up and sealed it, tight with huge masking tape. His lounge opened with the French doors onto the carpark. We put it to the side as instructed.

Next, we turned our attention to his clothes. All his clothes, even the lovely limited edition sports bomber jacket, (it looked like it was a limited edition, to me) everything that didn’t go to the charity, went in the empty clothes bank bin that was in the car park! It was very, VERY sad, but we had no choice, no one wanted them, I had asked, and no shops were open. I was grateful, that the clothes bank bin was completely empty, for we filled it to overflowing. A whole life, in the bin! Luke had also taken tins of food, for the charity, which was good, 99% of the tins of food all in date, went with Luke and we had the rest. The industrial size bins, they were not empty, so we added to them, Eric’s toiletries went in there, and other miscellaneous things, of which there was a lot all went in the already full bins. Luke had taken his telly too.

Next, I rang the chemist across the road, and said, “Eric has died, he had sealed boxes of bandages and creams, ready for the nurses to use and medical tapes and other items, can I bring them over to you?” There was a fearful voice at the other end of the phone line, and she said, “No, you need to throw them all in the bin.” I said, “It is such a waste,” Her answer was the same. So, in the bin they all went. And I understand why, at that time, I too would not like to think that I had bandages and sealed creams huge bottles, from another person’s home.

The coroner rang me and said, “I don’t know why Eric has died, for he is a relatively young man,” He went on, “I don’t want to open him up, what I will do is a digital scanning autopsy.” I said, “OK.”

Now, in covid, lockdown year, no one died of:-

Cancer.

Breast Cancer.

Heart Attack.

Diabetes.

Prostate.

AIDS.

Dementia.

Brain Tumor.

Sepsis.

Or anything else, no, in that year, everyone that died, died of covid!

So, when coroner’s report came to me, it said, “Eric died from 50% heart disease and 50% covid.” That saddened me to see that, for if there was no covid, it would have been heart disease. Period.