The Elderly and Adult Services.
Other
After watching the queen politicians and the rest of our country honour our elderly hero’s today it seems totally ironic that I have just watched a Panorama programme on BBC1 showing how local councils are being forced to slash adult care services by the government !!!!
How can we honour our elderly folk but take away their much needed care ????
The world has changed a lot in the last few generations and leaps in medical science means that at both ends of our lives more and more of us are being kept alive even though we would have died just a few years ago.
Babies barely half way through gestation are surviving, those born with terrible mental and physical disabilities and even those who will never lead a 'normal' life are kept alive. Elderly people are given drugs to ward off the things that would previously have killed; strokes, heart attacks and much more, many surviving in a trance like existence and dependent on others just like the aforementioned babies.
In my grandparents day people and babies died of these things, they were not kept alive WITH them.
Okay, they are indisputable facts. Our emotions as human beings mean we will do our utmost to save and sustain life but the cost of this is tremendous, not just financially but in terms of the burden on those who care and the ever increasing services required.
Personally, I want to go with a bang so to speak, not linger in a care home with some poor carer having to do all my personal care and having no quality of life. I will certainly be looking to have a DNR in place when I feel unable to cope with life anymore.
I know this is not a direct answer to your topic query but I am not sure if people realise just how many people are being cared for who, in the past, would not have survived. As most know by now I work with kids and the amount of special schools, bus services, drivers and PAs needed, not to mention teachers and carers, must cost so very much and it is all money that does not reap a return as opposed to services that make money.
I have no idea of the answer, all I know is that we are less than human if we allow people to die or suffer?
People are living longer and are retired for longer, paying their State pensions costs more (i.e. because it's paid for more years) and of course there will be more years of medical bills to pay for. One hundred years ago you would do well to make it to 60, these days it's nearer 80.
Sorry, I’ll apologise now, there are too many people taking money out of the system. I strongly believe that income tax should go up and stop these huge firms finding tax avoidance ways. Also some of elderly regardless of income automatically get cold weather heating payments. The loopholes should be stopped!
Pjran I am one of those strange people who believes we should pay more NI contributions in order to shore up the NHS, including care services. Obviously this would be those who are earning enough to do so.
We have enjoyed free at the point of delivery health care for many decades but the nhs will be a thing of the past if drastic steps are not taken soon. Would we sooner pay more at source now or end up with
private healthcare that most will not be able to pay, like USA.
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