h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In mid-May of this year Mum had a fall. She lives on her own and wasn't found for at least a couple of days. The woman who takes Mum to church was worried when Mum didn't answer the door. In the end they had to get somebody to break the door down. When Mum was found she was in a pretty bad state. She was taken to University Hospital, Coventry (aka Walsgrave Hospital). While she was there she suffered a stroke and contracted pneumonia. She has since been transferred to University Hospital, Rugby (aka St. Cross Hospital).

So far, so mundane. So what's my problem. Mum was unconscious for at least a week in the Coventry hospital. Since she regained consciousness, she hasn't been herself. She says things that don't make any sense. For example, while she was in Coventry, she said that the nurses lied to her and she refused to believe anything anybody said to her. Since she's been at St. Cross, she's complained that her grandson got blind drunk and ended up in the same ward as she was in - an impossibility for more than one reason. She's hardly eating or drinking, which isn't helping her recovery. She was told something like 'If you eat your meals, you'll be able to go home', and interpreted that as she'd be allowed to go home after eating one meal. No chance! She refuses to take her medicine and she seems to be spending a lot of the time asleep. She's so weak she can bearly make it to the toilet, even using a walking frame and with a nurse helping. When we visited her a couple of weeks ago, she told us she had nothing to live for. That worried me. She was asleep when we went to see her yesterday (Sunday 13th July). We couldn't wake her and spent some time with the nurses. One told us that she'd been agressive that day, calling the nurses demons who were doing evil against God, and even attacking one of them. I've never known Mum to be violent. She wouldn't even let Dad spank us and never hit us herself. The fact that she can act so out of character, on top of all the other issues, has got me really worried.

I know that confusion, weakness and depression (low mood, as the nurses insist on calling it) are normal after a stroke. It just feels like nothing's being done to help her. But then, how can the nurses help her if she won't help herself?