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Sweden to deport bed-ridden British pensioner, 74, with Alzheimer's
An elderly British woman with Alzheimer's, who cannot walk or talk, is to be ripped away from her loved ones and deported from Sweden because she can't get an up-to-date passport in a move branded 'cruel' and 'deeply shocking'.
Widow Kathleen Poole, 74, moved to Sweden from Macclesfield, Cheshire, 18 years ago to be close to her son, Wayne, his Swedish wife, Angelica and their four children.
But the bed-ridden pensioner developed dementia 11 years ago and has been in a care home for the past decade. She is now so incapacitated by the degenerative illness she cannot feed herself or go to the bathroom unaided.
Now the helpless grandmother faces being kicked out of the country after her family's bid for her to stay was rejected. Mrs Poole's loved ones had told authorities she didn't have a passport because she was too ill to travel and didn't need one.
However, their pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with officials from the British Embassy in Stockholm telling them on Friday that Swedish police had been in touch 'pressing' it to find a care home in the UK for Mrs Poole.
Widow Kathleen Poole, 74, (centre) moved to Sweden from Macclesfield 18 years ago to be close to her son, Wayne (right), his Swedish wife, Angelica (left) and their four children
Her family say they have not updated her passport as she is bed-bound and can no longer travel. Mrs Poole is pictured in her bed at her care home in Sweden
'It is impossible to say how long it will take but when we have found a care home willing to receive your mum, the police will give us a travel date and we will have to issue an emergency passport,' an official at the embassy told the Pooles, The Guardian reported.
Speaking about his mother's plight, her furious son Wayne previously said: 'I am devastated and angry. This is inhumane to move a person who has Alzheimer's and is too sick to even look after themselves.
'It's a disgrace that it is even a subject and that it's gone as far as deportation. No words could even describe this and tearing our family apart is horrendous.'
Mrs Poole's daughter-in-law Angelica said the impact of the decision by the Swedish authorities had left her 11-year-old son now fearing police would snatch his grandmother away.
'It is the children who are affected. They are not the ones who have to deal with their anxiety and nightmares,' she added.
Kathleen, a former chambermaid, developed Alzheimer's when she was 63. The crippling degenerative illness, which gets progressively worse over time, has meant she is no longer able to look after herself.
The widow needs to be hoisted from her bed by carers to get into a wheelchair. She also uses incontinence pads.
Her loved ones said they made an application for her to remain in Sweden before the 2021 deadline. However, it was rejected as she did not have a passport.
In happier times: Mrs Poole cuddles one of her grandchildren. She now faces being ripped from her family and deported to the UK, having not lived there for 18 years
Mrs Poole developed dementia 11 years ago and has been in a care home for the past decade. She is now so incapacitated by the degenerative illness she cannot feed herself or go to the bathroom unaided
'She cannot leave her bed, so she never had the need to get a new passport and we explained that,' her daughter-in-law Angelica told The Guardian in February.
In September last year, her family received the news they had all be dreading - that she would be deported.
Police reportedly showed up at the family home in January when her loved ones - who do not have power of attorney - were unable to provide the documents needed for her to stay in Sweden.
Officers went through the pensioner's wardrobes and riffled through her clothes before quizzing carers about her, the family said.
'I am so angry. It is disgraceful and ridiculous that after 18 years in the country this is happening all because of Brexit,' Angelica said.
News of Mrs Poole's plight has outraged campaigners, who have today lashed out at the decision by the Swedish authorities - with Labour MP Hilary Benn branding it 'deeply shocking'.
Councillor Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South at Cheshire East Council, told MailOnline: 'I think it's shocking. It's very cruel... I'm really surprised at Sweden. We know them for being very caring - their social care is really good.
'It's just bizarre they should pick on a woman of that age who has this added complication of dementia.
'Cruel' and 'deeply shocking': Labour MP Hilary Benn, left, has lashed out at the move by Sweden to deport Mrs Poole, formerly from Macclesfield. While ocal councillor Laura Jeuda (right), who represents Macclesfield South at Cheshire East Council, blasted the decision to deport the pensioner, labelling it 'cruel'
'We don't know what will happen to that poor woman if she's ripped away from her family and taken to a strange county she won't remember.'
The Labour councillor called on Whitehall to step in and oppose the decision by the Swedish authorities.
Branding the fiasco as 'another downside of Brexit', Ms Jeuda added: 'We need to get something from government on this, otherwise what are we saying about our old people - that they really don't matter?'
While David Milstead, a British professor of physics in Sweden who is part of the British in Sweden group, hit out at police saying they were 'just doing a box-ticking exercise' about what she can take with her instead of saying 'this is preposterous, this should not be happening’.
Under the withdrawal agreement for Brexit, UK citizens living in the EU before the 2016 referendum were granted the right to remain.
However, in several countries, it involved completing applications and paperwork to prove historical rights under free movement rules.
A spokesperson for the Swedish government has said it was 'against the law' to comment on any immigration matter.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office added it was 'supporting' Mrs Poole and her family.
And the European Commission said it was 'aware' of Mrs Poole's case and that it was 'in touch' with Swedish authorities.
Alzheimer's affects around 850,000 people in the UK and 5.8million in the US, but charities fear rates will soar across the world in the coming decades as populations age.