Pensioner Is Going To Court To Win The Right To Kiss His Wife

A devoted husband says he has ‘lost the will to live’ after care home staff told him to stop kissing his dementia-stricken wife.

Thomas Middleton, 87, was told he may be banned from seeing his wife of 67 years unless he agrees not to kiss her ‘constantly’ during his daily visits.

The pensioner was asked to sign an eight-point behaviour agreement following a review which says he can only kiss his wife Joan twice, once on arrival and once on departure.

Mr Middleton, who said he has been left severely depressed since the couple were separated, is trying to raise money to fight the decision by Derby City Council in court.

Mr Middleton told MailOnline: 'It has been hell for me since my wife was taken away from me on the 4th September 2010.

'I've been wanting my wife home ever since. I can't sleep at night – it's terrible for me.

'When I go to the care home there is always a member of staff who sits next to me. I get no privacy with my wife. They write down everything I say to her.

'I'm treated like a prisoner in a civilised country.'  

Mrs Middleton, 84, who suffers from dementia and Parkinson’s disease, has lived in the care home in Derby since 2010 after initially being looked after by her husband at home. Mr Middleton’s daily two-hour visits are supervised by staff after a court ruled in 2012 that his wife lacked the capacity to make decisions on her needs.

The father of three has also been told he must not try to feed his wife or make her more comfortable – which should be left to staff.

Last year Mr Middleton’s lawyers asked care staff to allow him to have unsupervised and longer sessions with his wife, and to let her visit him at home.

However, the request prompted a review conducted last August, which resulted in Derby City Council issuing the behaviour agreement.

The review said Mr Middleton was ‘constantly kissing, pulling and poking his wife, which she protests about’, according to The Sunday Times.

It claimed he had little understanding of her health needs and got ‘nastier and nastier’ if she did not respond to him.

Care home staff reported feeling intimidated by Mr Middleton, while there were also concerns that he would not return his wife if she were allowed a visit home.

However Mr Middleton, who served in the RAF, claimed the criticism was inaccurate, saying: ‘I’ve done nothing to my wife. I love her so much. I don’t want to leave her.’


Source: www.dailymail.co.uk