After they'd both been released from hospital they returned to their council flat and a live-in carer was duly installed. Apparently this is cheaper than housing them in council-funded homes. Of course, this meant that the assistance provided (at a huge financial cost to us) by the neighbours ceased which was beneficial in so many ways - the main one being that they were no longer able to 'seasonally re-adjust' the various benefits they collected from the post office and best of all, I no longer had to suffer endless monotonous phone calls about what was going on from one of them. Hurrah.
Since then, my poor husband has had to co-ordinate this nightmare on an almost daily basis; he used to look young for his age but he's visibly wilted during the past year. He visits once a week or fortnight as necessary but in the meantime he deals with their every problem or whim via phone. Here's a few examples of what he's had to put up with during the past few months:
- Sorting out things as mundane as having my BIL's hair cut
- Contacting the council to complain about the noise a neighbouring flat is emitting during to extensive internal refurbishment
- Buying new clothes for my MIL which she always declares as 'crap' - including the purchase 'brassieres' although she's not sure which size she is
- Buying new clothes for my BIL (from BHS btw!) which my MIL then won't let him wear....
- Contacting the white goods repair team after my BIL left the freezer door wide open for ages
Poor old him! As for me, well she's scared of me apparently and doesn't vex me unduly. I do receive odd phone calls from her though as she truly believes that because my voice is on the answerphone message that she's directly addressing me. When I've argued with her I've had the phone slammed down on me on numerous occasions.
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