200,000 elderly will lose their home care

[hermes2007]

This isn't news to some of us. I really believe that Wiltshire Council are doing their best (at least in my experience) but there is just not enough money anymore (if there ever was!).


More than 200,000 frail elderly people will lose meals on wheels and other care at home in a savage round of cutbacks.

Only the most seriously sick and disabled will retain the right to free meals and help with washing, cleaning and shopping by next year.
Rising demand and costs are forcing social services to restrict home assistance, a Whitehall report reveals.

It provides strong evidence that the weakest and most vulnerable are likely to suffer first from spending cuts that will follow the Government's decision to plough vast amounts into saving failed banks and financial institutions.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211621/200-000-elderly-lose-home-care-Weak-vulnerable-pay-price-bank-bailout.html

[Clevercat]

Disgraceful news which makes me so cross, but sadly not a shock.  People have to fight harder and harder for any support, care etc these days.

[hermes2007]

Its easy CC, don't get old and don't get ill.
God help you if both happen at once. Having been frugal and bothered to save just makes it worse.

[Clevercat]

It really does make me cross, I have several friends who have experienced problems with health, therefore needing care to be put in place, the problems and strain this places on relationships, finances etc is unbelievable, It is so sad that extra support is so few and far between.

[hermes2007]

CC. I do befriending work for Age Concern
They offer good advice on the phone out of Devizes
01380 727767

http://www.ageconcernwiltshire.org.uk/index.cfm?id=792

and can arrange a home visit to help assess what is needed.

They are short of money and can't change what is actually available but they do at least know the current situation and who to contact.

[Yokel1]

Of course, if this were the animal kingdom the weak and the old would just be left to die out - you dont hear tigers complaining about the lack of an Ebu on wheels service.

I really do think people shouldnt read the daily mail - it only exists for people who want to intellectualise their anger.

Lets be honest, this lot will be voted out before anything is done - and the tories will make things even worse.

[Clevercat]

Yes well this is not the animal kingdom.

I know of three lots of young couples whose lives are blighted by ill health, major physical problems, complications etc, and they,. all three, have had to fight tooth and nail for any help.

Not sure what the Daily Mail has to do with it?

[Yokel1]

Daily Mail is saying that because of the bank bailout all those services will have to be cut.   Theres no direct evidence of a causal link there at all.  For all we know the bank bailout money came from cutting back on resource in Afghanistan.    The way the article is written is just supposed to make your blood boil.  

The money's there - they just have to want to spend it there - look at the 2p on petrol and the money we are wee weeing away on the Middle East.

So if you want to get wee weeed off then get wee weeed off with the government about everything, not just the bank bailout, but dont complain if they want another 10% tax off you, or if the tories do it even worse.   We have an ageing population and we are in a recession - wheres the money going to come from?  

In all my life I have been struck by the predicament of many people, and really felt for them and understood their predicament and thought - yes, this is what makes us different to the animals.  also, in all my life I have been struck by how ungrateful some of the buggers are for living in a society that sees fit to support them, which is something you wouldnt get in many other countries.

So my point is it SHOULD be hard to get benefits, and I think the assessment system should be run much more tightly to kick off the scroungers and therefore make more available for the genuinely needy.  But, I fear, however this works we are just simply going to have to face the fact thatpeople that can only ever be a drain on society - past their useful life or never have been useful - will always be low down on the list of the government as there can never be a return on their investment. 

[hermes2007]

The trouble is, its hard to draw a clear line between what you call scroungers and the genuinely needy and a lot of the needy get treated like they are scroungers and believe me as someone who has fought to get people through the system to claim benefits they are entitled to by law, it is not easy at all. But ironically the more feckless and more inclined not to save or work, the more likely you are to get help.

Benefits and social services are being cut back to the point where only emergency cases are getting priority, and that means early intervention which could help people not get to the emergency stage is not being done. Madness.

My parents (in their 80's) remember very well when the poor, sick and old were left to go to the wall. I hoped we had gone beyond that, though I do agree probably we have gone too far and discouraged people to want to work and save. Why bother, when if you have any savings at all, social services will just ignore you.

Great to have you back Yokel.
I like a good discussion.

[Mike Hawkins]

Of course, if this were the animal kingdom the weak and the old would just be left to die out - you dont hear tigers complaining about the lack of an Ebu on wheels service.

Tigers don't have to pay over 40 years tax and National Insurance!!

[charlie finbow]

personally i think its a disgrace.   Having said that i really admire the italian and mexican culture towards familys, familys stick together and support each other 24/7 and i for one think its lovely, maybe familys there dont get so  split up or migrate as much as english familys tend to do, job wise etc, but the elderly are held in high regard and treated as such not to mention looked after by the whole family, we could learn a lot from them in my book.

[Clevercat]

personally i think its a disgrace.   Having said that i really admire the italian and mexican culture towards familys, familys stick together and support each other 24/7 and i for one think its lovely, maybe familys there dont get so  split up or migrate as much as english familys tend to do, job wise etc, but the elderly are held in high regard and treated as such not to mention looked after by the whole family, we could learn a lot from them in my book.

 

[Yokel1]

Its significant that in Italy the elderly are becoming less and less revered - probably something to do with alienation (children move away to work rather than stay near home) but theres a definite trend that the more Westernised a country becomes the more neglected the weak and elderly - take the most capitalist economy in the world - the US - as the big example.   When money rules and consumption is for consumptions sake those who dont have the money and consume resource (that could otherwise go on new tellys and burgers) dont count.

On top of which, dignity has little value in a world where greed is the driving factor.

[hermes2007]

I think Charlie has a good point, but as Yokel says unfortunately the trend in the Western world is away from that. My elderly parents live near Ipswich and they don't want to move here and my family is around here. Difficult.

Just to highlight my original point:
MPs say complex rules deprive carers of benefits
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/sep/08/carers-benefits-guidance-commons-committee

[charlie finbow]

Yokel has a valid point and sadly i have to agree but being westernised is maybe not a good thing, i gues im a bit old fashioned when it comes to the family lot.   Phil i didnt realise your family came from Ipswich I orriginated from Harwich (not a million miles away) but having said that i wouldnt go back as Westbury is my home town now.