Peter died in agony because he wasn’t even a second-class citizen

WHEN Peter McKenna died, he was alone, in terrible pain, and frightened. He didn’t know what was happening to him because he couldn’t.

He'd had a recent stroke. He was blind. And he couldn't communicate. The bottom half of his body was blackened as a result of blood poisoning. When he had arrived in Beaumont Hospital earlier that evening they discovered that he was completely dehydrated. Those supposed to be caring for him hadn't even had the wit to see that he was in terrible thirst.

Peter was almost certainly going to die reasonably soon anyway. All his life he had had Down's syndrome, and at the age of 60 he had been in the grip of Alzheimer's disease for a couple of years. The end of his life a life that had been happy for all that was near enough. But it could have been an end accomplished with dignity. In peace and comfort. It had none of those things.