I have just witnessed one of the most disgusting and blatant abuse of a disabled pensioner who also lives with dementia I have ever seen.

Abuse at its worse
I have just witnessed one of the most disgusting and blatant abuse of a disabled pensioner who also lives with dementia I have ever seen.
What happened was this.
Margaret and I were out shopping and I went into the shop that had a Post Office counter while Margaret went next door to get something.
I just wanted a book of stamps,
There was only one other person in the queue a disabled man in a wheel chair, he was in his late sixties he had a post office credit card in his had so presumably he was withdrawing his pension, who knows. anyway the girl behind the counter was in her early twenties, she must have seen the man holding the card and very abruptly said, ‘well put it in the reader’
I watched as the disabled man lent forward in his chair and put the card in the reader,
‘come on put your pin in’ her voice was sharp,
The man tapped his four digit code whereupon the woman said, ‘no that’s been declined you must have put the wrong pin in, do you know your pin’
The man took his card out and re-inserted it then
put his pin in again.
‘no no its been declined again, you must have forgotten your number, one last chance, come on there are people waiting’
There actually was only me.
For the third time he put his pin in, I saw he was shaking, and again she shouted, ‘its declined you stupid or something’.
with that he took his card and wheeled himself out of the shop.
I came to the counter and said, ‘you were a bit harsh there weren’t you’,
‘what do you want’ she said as she shrugged her shoulders, ‘just a book of stamps’.
She gave me the stamps and I paid and hurried after the man in the wheelchair.
He was just outside and I asked him If I could help him in any way. he looked shaken
and I suggested we go back in and try his card again but he said. ‘no she’ll shout at me again.
‘No she wont cos I’ve got a Mar’.
He looked at me puzzled and said ‘what’s a Mar’
Just then Margaret came out of the shop next door and I told her what had just happened.
Margaret said, ’She said what?’
Margaret’s eyes went red, steam came out of here ears and flames came out of her mouth.
Margaret asked if she could look at his card and then verified it wasn’t damaged and in date then she asked if he knew his pin number the man told us that he knew he shouldn’t but because he has dementia he had it written down in another part of his jacket.
I told him I too had dementia and he should not have been spoken to like that.
Margaret asked him to check the number and he did nodding his head.
Right lets go back in and get you your money.
All three of us went back into the post office and I said to the same woman, ‘he’s gonna try again;
She shrugged he shoulders again totally disinterested
The disabled man put his card into the reader and tapped his four digit code in and was about to press the next button when I said, ‘no mate press the green button, not the clear button’
‘Oh silly me’
‘don’t worry I’ve done that a hundred times’
He pressed the green button and the post office woman said ‘that ok’ and handed him his money.
We began to leave then Margaret went to the counter and said.’ One day you will be old and I do hope you don’t have to put up with the abuse you showed this man who lives with dementia and is a disabled pensioner all you had to do was to show a bit of compassion, a bit of respect a bit of understanding, you saw he was pressing the clear button but all you do is to sneer, well shame on you’
But as she began to leave and catch us up a few other people had joined the queue and in a spontaneous response they all in unison began to clap.
I t was an applause for humanity
It was am applause for disabled people
and it was an applause for those of us living with this dreadful disease.