Posted on 02/26/2006 4:41:16 AM PST by SheLion
A WOMAN in a wheelchair must go outside into the cold weather for a cigarette even though she is 93 - because smoking is banned in her nursing home.
Gladys Gornall, known as Chris, of the Norwood Lodge Nursing Home in Nore Road, Portishead, took up smoking 10 years ago after her husband died.
Daughter Joan Mock, 68, says it is the only thing she has left that keeps her happy.
And she says she fears her mother is more likely to die from exposure to cold winter weather than from smoking.
Mrs Mock said: "She's 93, she's in a wheelchair and she has to smoke outside. Last week I had to stand outside with her with an umbrella over her while it rained. We know it's not politically correct any more, but she is old and she will die of hypothermia rather than smoking at this rate."
Mrs Gornall said: "I'm sick and tired of going out there in the cold. I'm fed up with the whole situation. What else have I got to look forward to? I've got no other pleasures."
Mrs Mock said the home used to have a small room where smokers could light up. But she said the smoking ban in the building has now been enforced for health and safety reasons.
She said: "For God's sake, what can she do? There aren't any other smokers in the home now. This is all she has left as her bit of independence. It's so pathetic."
She said relatives of other residents at the home have sympathised with Mrs Gornall's plight.
The only real health problem the pensioner has is osteoarthritis in her knees.
Mrs Mock said: "She says they aren't going to stop her having a fag."
Mrs Gornall moved into the home with her husband, Albert, in 1996 but he died within weeks of their arrival. She took up smoking soon after his death.
Gill Lee, group operations manager for Belmont Care, which owns the home, said the non-smoking policy had been in place since before Mrs Gornall went into the nursing home. She said: "We've had a policy for years in Norwood Lodge of no smoking, mainly on health and safety grounds.
"Mrs Gornall, her daughter and her social worker had a meeting with the matron in May 2005 to explain to her the no-smoking policy in the home, and this was confirmed to her in writing."
She said none of the staff smoke inside the building. But she would not comment on whether the company's policy on enforcing the smoking ban had been tightened.
And she said allowing Mrs Gornall just to smoke in her own room would be "even worse".
She said: "To allow smoking in their room would cause even more health and safety issues."
Truer words were never spoken.
Nice to know that it's all about you.
LOL! BRAVO! That is a fabulous picture! Do you wonder why we love you so much?!
You should have intervened.
Quality of life?
This is very sad, but it is a personal problem, not the nursing home's problem. Sorry - this may sound callous, but if those are the rules, then those are the rules.
Ever eat fast food?
You're next.
Neither do you.
I agree that rules are rules, but the woman has lived there for 10 years and now they seem to be changing them?
What's a nice girl like you doing on a thread like this? :-)
You said it, my FRiend! And don't forget, "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."
So, quality of life and peace of mind are not part of health care.
Interesting.
Yes, about 1x every 2 weeks.
I wasn't aware of any business or private property that has banned the consumption of fast food.
Same thing happened to the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Friends of Bill failed him at the end (for the same reason, BTW).
Sorry for your loss.
I used to be like that.
Now, I just tend to smoke wherever I want. Got that "fill-up-the-door" thing going on, and I'm plenty tired of being polite.
Quality of life?LOL! yeah there's nothing like smoke to enhance one's "quality of life"...
BTW, I guess she (and every other non-smoker) had no "quality of life" for the 83yrs prior to starting smoking.
You folks are really starting to creep me out.
I understood for awhile, but.......
I agree with you on a lot of things, but not this.
It's a nursing home where lots of the patients probably have respiratory problems.
If she's hale enough to smoke, she's hale enough to go outside.
Beat's me!!!!!!!!!
I work in a nursing home which has a smoking area. They tried to make it non-smoking, but the people signed on to a smoking facility and the NH has to abide by the contract. Besides, we have around 50 or so elderly who smoke. That's a chunk of change to lose. The smokers are supervised and cannot have tobacco or lighters in their rooms. It's working out nicely, but the smoking nazis still complain about them.
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