The story of William and Daniel McCarthy, the brothers who were found dead this week at their home in Bluebell, West Dublin, has most of us thinking of our elderly and vulnerable neighbours this week.
The pensioners, who were both deaf and dumb, lived in the quiet cul-de-sac for more than 26 years, with 76-year-old William taking care of his 73-year-old brother, who had special needs.
A friend from the Deaf Society raised the alarm when their bodies were discovered in an upstairs bedroom. Gardaí believe Daniel died of neglect after his brother and carer William passed away after an illness.
It’s easy to pass somebody’s door daily without knocking, and not everybody wants to be disturbed or checked in on, but, as the charity Alone encourages elderly people to ask for help if they are feeling lonely or isolated, one woman decided to take matters into her own hands when she discovered her elderly neighbour had been forgotten by society.
Lucy Ashen, from Fullham in London, had lived in the same apartment building for 21 years and often wondered about her reclusive elderly neighbour. One day, when she accidentally locked herself out, Lucy helped the woman back into her home… and was shocked at what she found inside the door.
Lucy says: “I knew she was living in less than acceptable conditions, I just didn’t realise how bad. What I saw when she finally let me in will stay with me forever! It was horrific!”
The was no food in the one bedroom flat, which was filled with filthy clothes. The woman, who suffers from mental health issues, had nobody to help her bathe. She had survived this way for years.
Lucy sprang into action:
“Without stopping to think, I gutted her house! I mean everything went down to the toilet seat. I knew I needed help at this point, so without thinking too much of it I put a post on Facebook asking for help along with a list of what she needed.”
Within 24 hours, Facebook responded, with wellwishers donating 80 per cent of the items Lucy felt the woman needed.
“It took me over 60 hours of cleaning to get her flat to an acceptable level for her to live in and 11 days on I’m still not finished! But with the kindness and generosity of the people who donated items I have been able to turn her house into a home.” says Lucy.
The kind mum and her teenage daughter also gave the woman a bath – her first in 13 years. They brushed her hair and helped to dress her in clean, warm clothes.
“She has everything she could need, a bed to sleep in (she was sleeping on the floor) good clean furniture, fresh new bedding, beautiful new clothes, three meals a day, and most importantly company. She truly has been saved from a lonely and degrading life, she has been given her dignity back and I intend for her to live out the rest of her life in comfort and surrounded by love.”
Now Lucy has started a Go Fund Me page to raise money to improve her neighbour’s well being and take her on day trips that may help her to relive the childhood memories she talks about in their chats.
If you would like to donate, you can read about the fund here. For regular updates on Lucy and her lovely ‘Lady’, see My Lady and Me on Facebook.
