Woman, 88, dies 28 days after 'inhumane' carers stop giving her food or water
An elderly woman has died 28 days after carers stopped giving her food or water, her devastated son says.
Sarene Taylor, 88, was sent back from a hospital in North Wales to die in a care home after foods and fluids were withdrawn, Rob Taylor said on Monday.
Mr Taylor, a former rural police officer from the area, told North Wales Live that her end-of-life care was "inhumane" and "heartbreaking" for the family - and needs to change.
He now plans to report the circumstances that led to his mother's death to North Wales Police and the Older People's Commissioner for Wales.
Mr Taylor said: "I understand end of life care, and the carers and district nurses do a fantastic job but to deny a human being food and water is disgraceful and we as a society need to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
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"The family thank everyone for their kind messages and loving support during these past weeks."
Sarene Taylor when she was younger (Daily Post)Mr Taylor said his mum had suffered a stroke and was in an unnamed North Wales hospital about four weeks ago.
But he claims doctors later told him that there nothing more they could do and began end-of life care, meaning fluids and food were withdrawn.
In an emotional video released just days before his mother died, Mr Taylor described the situation his family had been placed in as "harrowing".
"I spent quite a lot of time with her - and then on leaving and waiting for the phone call, because I had to go somewhere else unfortunately, I then discovered I had caught Covid, so I couldn't immediately go back - on the Wednesday, just gone three weeks ago - I was told we had to take her from the hospital," he said.
"So [we] arranged for her to be taken back to the care home. This is not a story about illegality or legality, it's about ethics. My mum is still alive - 24 to 25 days in without any food, any water, no IV drip, nothing - she's still alive - and it's inhumane and absolutely harrowing to the family and inhumane.
"That such a precious lady has been allowed to lie on a bed in a care home - in fairness being seen once a day by a district nurse and they do an outstanding job, it's nothing against them or the care home - but it's the ethics that she is just left to die, slowly from dehydration and malnutrition in front of our very eyes.
Andrea Hughes, Director of Nursing for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's East Integrated Health Community, said: "We offer our sincere condolences to Mrs Taylor's family for their very sad loss.
"While we cannot comment on individual cases in any detail, we were in daily contact with Mr Taylor about his mother's care and we are investigating concerns that he has raised."
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