Oap Dead In His House For Nearly 2 Months

[mikey4444]

I had a nasty shock yesterday. I had to visit a house in the Valleys in the course of my work. It was a small terraced house. I knocked on the door a couple of times but I then noticed that there were huge quantities of blue-bottles clustered around the front windows.

I suspected the worst and I knocked the house next door, where the man there confirmed the worst. The OAP who lived in the house had been found dead in his armchair the previous week.

The chap I was speaking to had been concerned but had presumed the old chap was away staying with relatives.

The image of those horrible blue bottles kept me awake last night.

[Old_Geezer]

Sensitive type of guy Mikey ?

Aye I know distant relatives of mine who were undiscovered for some time after dying. Consequence of living alone, perhaps after a partner has died.

[TWR]

After seeing many programs on Scammers / Cowboy Builders / I feel it's my duty as a nosey old fart to look after my neighbours, I would have gone in beforehand, what about you?

[Mosaic]

Poor you Mikey. And poor old fella, dying alone.
I'm surprised that the local environmental health team haven't either enforced a clear-up by the owner, or done it themselves and (in forlorn hope of repayment) billed the owners.
What you saw is not only distressing, it's a health hazard.
The vividness of the image you were presented with will fade, given time, and you will benefit from deliberately diverting your thoughts if you find yourself dwelling on the imagery.
Last thing at night is a hard one - I found getting physically really tired, and having a tiny tincture of something nice, helped me drop off in such circumstances.
Give it time and you'll be OK with it.
Makes you think though doesn't it - where are we, if we aren't looking out for each other?

[lady-janine]

Mikey - that is horrible. visiting relatives for two months? no neighbours thought to query as they went past his house? Terrible.

[Sqad]

TWR....I agree, we are living in different times with different attitudes and questionable philosophies........a case of " *** you Charlie, I,m alright.

A generation thing, less likely to have happened post WW2.

[Hypognosis]

It's their pets I feel sorriest for, Mikey. And the council clear-up teams.


http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census-analysis/do-the-demographic-and-socio-economic-characteristics-of-those-living-alone-in-england-and-wales-differ-from-the-general-population-/sty-living-alone-in-the-uk.html

[Mosaic]

Do you mean 'more likely' Sqad?

[Sqad]

Mosaic.......no.......less likely to have happened postWW2.

Neighbours looked out for each other far more in the 50's and 60's.

[mikey4444]

I must be honest and say that the chap I spoke to didn't seem terribly concerned. According to him, the OAP "kept himself to himself" and wasn't very sociable. All previous efforts to make friends had been rejected and not very politely. In his place, I think I hope I would have made more efforts.

He was more concerned about how long it was going to take the local Council to come along and clean the house up. The body was discovered last Friday.

But those awful blue bottles..... Yuck !

[TWR]

You did your best Mikey, you can't do anymore.

[mikey4444]

TWR....perhaps if I had called a few weeks ago....

This happened to one of my colleagues a few years ago. She sensed that something wasn't right, called the Police and when they arrived, found a similar situation.

[Retrochic]

mikey its no good dwelling on what may have happened if you had called earlier. You weren't scheduled to call earlier and hindsight is a wonderful, if useless thing. The chap probably died peacefully in his armchair. Yes the aftermath of him not being found is distasteful to deal with and traumatic for those left behind but it was the life he chose and had been offered friendship and help which he declined.

[retrocop]

I recall being sent to a flat in Sutherland W.9 to meet a landlord of a flat.
Loads of blue bottles in the bedroom window.We entered the flat and I went to the bedroom.There was a nice big eiderdown on the bed which was moving.I thought at least the old boy is still breathing. Wrong.Pulled back the bedclothes and greeted with a mass of wriggling maggots. Quite a shock for a young man. There is no training for that.The landlord made a hsty retreat wreching into his handkerchief muttering about rent due him !!

[Retrochic]

Its weird though what 'gets' to you. I've scraped maggots out of animals wounds and removed snakes with a stick when out in the boonies in the northern territories - but will not dig up potatoes out of the garden in case I see an earthworm. its for this reason I'm making sure everyone knows I want cremating -I'm not laying in the earth letting those worms eat me lol!

[retrocop]

Reminds me of the story about the hypochondriac who lived next to a doctor.
All day and into the middle of the night Fred would ring his neighbour about advice for imaginery ailments.
Eventually Fred died and was buried in the local cemetry.The doctor was sad to see his neighbour go but held a slight relief that he would now get some peace and sleep at night.
About6 months later the doctors phone rang and he recognised Fred's voice asking,"What do you suggest I do about worms?"

[Mosaic]

Just curious about your awful encounter Retrocop - didn't the pervading smell forewarn you that this might not be someone taking a nap?

[retrocop]

Strangely enough the awful stench had been held back by the thick bedding above the deceased.But you are correct.Once I had pulled back the bed clothes the smell was like nothing I had smelled before. I felt it permeated my uniform for ages until I got it cleaned.

[retrocop]

Its odd the smell of blood seems to linger for ages as well.

[Retrochic]

^^^^^^ well this is doing mikey the world of good now isn't it lol!

[retrocop]

Such is life. :-)