Living, not just existing
The debate around the future of care for the elderly is not just important in the context for how we provide services to an increasing number of older people, but how we can support people to be as active as possible.
Many politicians visit residential care homes. I am a regular visitor to Ty Coch in Llanishen, where I spend time talking to the residents about the work I do in the Assembly and also listen to what they have to say. Today we talked about the the big care debate and what the major challenges are. It was more than useful as their experiences are current.
Paying for domiciliary and residential care is a big factor when we consider that in 20 years time the number of retired people will outnumber those in work and that half of today’s new born children will live until they are 100 years of age. The demographic picture of the UK is rapidly shifting and we are at last waking up to this major challenge which cannot be avoided by simply hiding behind the couch.
The financial question poses two problems, the first is that we don’t know how to plug a £6bn gap in expenditure just to carry on doing what we do now for a bigger audience, and second it doesn’t take into account how services might have to be re-designed in future to cope with changing expectations. Personally I don’t see how we can avoid a form of “old age insurance” but this might not be universally popular.
The group I spoke to today talked about the cost but also about the quality of life. Some residential homes are very good at providing a varied social calendar, catering for different interests. For many of the residents I know, the quality of life through activities and societal engagement is important, it’s about actually living.
I sometimes think we have traditional come at this debate from the wrong angle, looking at the cost. The problem is that we haven’t figured out first what it is we need to provide and what people might want to do in their old age.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
It’s all about health, if your fit and healthy then age is not so much of a problem, but I worked in heavy industry most of the people that worked with me now all suffer chronic back ache or knee problems. But my wife’s grandfather was a miner he is now suffering breathing problems, he is now in a care home, and they give him after he pays his way £18 a week in pocket money. He was also in the war serving in Burma, he did not have a great war and it has left him scared it took us two years to get him help, this week he told us his £18 a week was not enough.
Are we really saying that when we fight for our country, work your whole life we end up paying them pocket money what a disgrace.
I’m disabled after an accident at work, with New labours plans are to make my life worse because next year my IB will be cut by £12 a week, after watching the BBC and New labours programs about benefits cheats, and Browns idea for making me work, I think I’ve had enough of politicians and politics to last me a life time.
November 21st, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Judging by the recent success of the Campaign Against Retirement Leasehold Exploitation (CARLEX) in highlighting problems ( – largely an outcome of loosely-drafted legislation and lack of regulation – ) that govern and impact upon their financial and psychological wellbeing, handing over more of the decision-making process to this section of the populace has to be the way forward.