WITH reference to "Where have angels gone?" (Letters, October 30), I could not agree more.

My mother, too, was dysphasic and even though it happened ten years ago I can never forget it.

The nurses thought that because she could not speak coherently, she also could not understand what was being said to her.

But we could understand her and knew which nurse had said what to her.

I was disgusted. I wanted to report them, but because this upset my mother too much -- she knew it would rebound on her -- I didn't bother.

Poor mum had to be hospitalised a number of times and used to dread it if certain nurses were on duty on her ward.

I also came across similar treatment while working as an auxiliary nurse at a geriatric hospital. So many were caring nurses but there were also a few who gave us all a bad name.

Knowing full well the patients could not retaliate, they treated them with contempt.

No, these are definitely not angels. The true angels are the ones who give without thinking of themselves, who care compassionately and treat their patients like they would their own family.

These are the ones who entered their profession because they wanted to be a nurse and not because it paid well and who knew there would be long hours.

What they did not expect was to be abused and threatened, as many of them are today, but, there again, neither did my mum expect to be treated as she was and she could not do a thing about it.

MRS MAUREEN ARMFIELD, Barnes Street, Clayton-le-Moors.

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