The Vanishing Point  Fed up with persistent indignities, the elderly residents of a nursing home in the Cotswolds decide to invent the first Direct taxi service to heaven.

SYNOPSIS:

The Vanishing Point is about a group of people stuck in a situation that is endemically bad for some, both through their own physical ailments, age, and the way these are treated within society and within the care sector generally, many suffer indignities and thoughtless cruelty at the hands of both relatives, society at large, and the medical and care staff that many are forced to rely on.

For most this will not have been their choice - but forced on them by circumstances or social workers.

Many will have had to leave and sell properties they have bought in order to pay the astronomical fees involved.

Most will have had to disburse with a house full of personal items and furniture. Distilling their possessions down to what will fit in a single room.

Once in the home their lives are ruled by daily routines, from the breakfast trolly to the medicine rounds.

And, while it is nice to think that every care setting is manned by nice nurses and caring Florence Nightingale types looking out for the best interests of every resident, this is not always the case. And when you are utterly reliant on people and they let you down or family don’t visit then it hurts.

It is also terribly easy for family not to visit relatives in care homes, or to forget about them in the hustle and bustle of daily life, or for them, so-called "professionals", or staff to take away their agency and patronise them.

The story itself is fantasy based on a short story I wrote with the same title. Many of the situations such as the vignette where Lily has leg spasms are based around real life vignettes from my own experiences with M.S. (Multiple Sclerosis), sadly there was no Sarah at the time.

Also having been a full time, unpaid carer including palliative care, for my late Grandmother (who died of cancer of the oesophagus) and having worked part time in a care home. A few characters are fictional however I am "Vicky" and in Sarah and have done both jobs.

I have intentionally left some Character details a little scant to suit the actors snd left some shots as I intend - if possible to co/executive produce it. I have approached certain actors for expressions of interest for some roles and written them with their talents in mind.

The genres are thus sci-fi / drama and gonzo a type of journalism (I am a qualified International Journalist and worked weekends in the home to cover my childcare.)

It aims to increase awareness and empathy, and to effect change in a number of situations. It also touches on issues such as anxiety, workplace bullying and the bigotry that still exists in small towns.

Script