I'LL DIE AFTER BINGO

Evening StandardResident: I feel I want to keep talking.

Me: Of course! What do you want to talk about?

Resident: My heart. Me: What about your heart?

Resident: I feel I want to touch it.

Me: Your heart? You want to touch your heartResident: Yes, but I'm too frightened. Me: What are you frightened about?

Resident: Everything. People.Things.

Me: What's frightening you at this very moment?

Resident: (Closes eyes). That I'll never be touched again.

That I won't be able to get to my heart.

Me: Metaphorically?

Resident: More carrots please.

Whether he's initiating a coup d'etat against new regulations with the residents, or forging a bond with the 98-year old who once called him a fat slut, Pope Lonergan's work is infinitely varied.This no-holds-barred account shows what life inside a care home is really like, for both residents and carers.