Comparisons
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Record Number: 19.101
Record Type: Text/Image
Caption:
The front entrance of the Royal Albert Hospital. (Ref 34: IMG 7512 Courtesy of Mandy Cody)
Summary:
During the summer of 2006 a group of former residents met for a few weeks at the Adult College in Lancaster and talked about their time at the Royal Albert. Some of these individuals spent most of their lives there, going in the 1940s and not leaving until the 1980s. At the time of sharing these comments they all lived in houses, with upwards of 3 or 4 people (one or two them being group members) and all having some degree of paid staff support. Quite naturally they compared their lives since leaving with what it had been like for them in the hospital. This is a summary of some of their reflections:
Cyril and Jeffrey feeling: ‘Better where I am now.”
Jill saying, ‘I’m a lot happier where I am now.”
Jill and Jeffrey agreed with Cyril who said it is better now, ‘Because you can get around.” Jill, for example, doing her 1:1 and going out for lunch. Jill also happier about life now because she can, ‘Get the mop bucket out. Mop the floor… And wash up… We got a washing machine and I put it on… I like to do jobs and that. I don’t like sitting down.’
Jeffrey feels “it wasn’t true’ at the Albert that you could make decisions. At the Royal Albert Jeffrey felt, ‘We couldn’t go out. And we couldn’t do this. We had the girls other side, and the boys the other side… We couldn’t do what we want.’
Cyril: “No. They used to lock the doors… on Tetley Ward when I was on there.’
Kenneth also recalls that, “They used to lock the doors on Tomlinson.”
Jeffrey and Cyril feel it’s ‘much better” where they live now. According to Kenneth: ‘More better. Better than Royal Albert.” As Cyril says, “You can go into town, you can go everywhere.” Kenneth: “ You can go Asda, do the shopping.” Jill goes shopping on a Thursday to either Asda or Morrisons.
Norman like where he lives now the best. One of the reasons is that he can do drawing when he gets home. He enjoys ‘drawing picture and that.”
Jill ‘didn’t like it.’ She didn’t like being told what to do by domestic staff although some staff were very good.
(Ref: 22 UTP Group Sum)
Cyril and Jeffrey feeling: ‘Better where I am now.”
Jill saying, ‘I’m a lot happier where I am now.”
Jill and Jeffrey agreed with Cyril who said it is better now, ‘Because you can get around.” Jill, for example, doing her 1:1 and going out for lunch. Jill also happier about life now because she can, ‘Get the mop bucket out. Mop the floor… And wash up… We got a washing machine and I put it on… I like to do jobs and that. I don’t like sitting down.’
Jeffrey feels “it wasn’t true’ at the Albert that you could make decisions. At the Royal Albert Jeffrey felt, ‘We couldn’t go out. And we couldn’t do this. We had the girls other side, and the boys the other side… We couldn’t do what we want.’
Cyril: “No. They used to lock the doors… on Tetley Ward when I was on there.’
Kenneth also recalls that, “They used to lock the doors on Tomlinson.”
Jeffrey and Cyril feel it’s ‘much better” where they live now. According to Kenneth: ‘More better. Better than Royal Albert.” As Cyril says, “You can go into town, you can go everywhere.” Kenneth: “ You can go Asda, do the shopping.” Jill goes shopping on a Thursday to either Asda or Morrisons.
Norman like where he lives now the best. One of the reasons is that he can do drawing when he gets home. He enjoys ‘drawing picture and that.”
Jill ‘didn’t like it.’ She didn’t like being told what to do by domestic staff although some staff were very good.
(Ref: 22 UTP Group Sum)
Notes:
Keywords:
Layout Buildings Choice Sexual Segregation Locked Wards
Relationships Community Restrictions