Health News: Cost of Care

[Cleoriff]

When I started my nursing career xxxx years ago there was a phrase taught to all new recruits joining the profession. *From the cradle to the grave*

It was used when the NHS was formed in 1948. It meant that governments then and in the future would provide care to newborns until they reached the end of their life

So today this news was released by the BBC, which gives a completely different outlook for the elderly in our communities. I know many younger people never want to think this far ahead.....but if honest this report makes for very frightening reading...and if we continue living longer everyone should stop and give some thought to the report

Care spending for the elderly has been reduced by a fifth over the last 10 years. Which means we should all be looking at provision for our own care and not just planning to get a good pension

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31015807

As a result of this report, the BBC has launched its own Cost Of Care project and has provided a calculator

so you can work out now........how much you will need to provide for your own care needs (if you or a family member needed it today)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30990913

[Cleoriff]

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@anticpated wrote:
Yes i will give it some consideration and for my next decomposition...

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Either way @anticpated ...whatever you choose to do.....it will cost a lot more than it does now..

[anticpated]

What do you call a man who lives in the ground?

Pete

[anticpated]

At the end of the day it's all thermodynamics and the second law of it, entropy what must live also must die. Death is something I don't like to talk about and when the times I'll deal with it.

An overall analogy of this would be, for everything that people pay in actual fact, right down the molecules of air we breathe is that we don't actually own or have the rights to anything.. That's a very Orwellian and Dystopian point of view alas that's all to be said about that.

Care for elderly is such a neccesary and exploitable area. As recent reports of abuse and rundown care facilities has shown. I hope I am never in position where I have to deal with all of that.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I went to bed and didn't see the replies.

We have been told the level of care that my mother in law needs but that it's down to us to get the package into place.  In this area social services will only arrange temporary care and, as she will need this for life, it's down to us to make contact with agencies and get the package into place. 

I keep reading articles about how families should care for the elderly and in an ideal world, yes, it would happen.  However caring for my mother in law ourselves isn't really an option.  We both work, I work full time and my husband is self employed so works when the jobs are there.  He also has health problems of his own.  She couldn't move in with us as we only have one bedroom and we couldn't move in with her as her house isn't suitable.  So the options are a care package or she sells her home and moves into a care home.  Not much of a choice really

[Cleoriff]

@Anonymous  Social services operate different policies country wide. All down to finances that are allocated to their budget. Then, its a matter of how each council decides what their individual priorities are. Unfortunately it looks as if your relative lives in an area with limited resources and options

A lot of these problems started way back in 1983 when the Thatcher government implemented  the Care In the Community policy.. It was evident early on that this wasn't working.

As a nurse at that time, I found major problems when I tried to discharge my patients back home. The care they needed was not available and families found themselves in the position of having to provide much needed support.

Problems are now exacerbated by an ageing population who are living longer. Without the finances to care for them.... this 'problem' will get worse every year.

Apologies for my rant. It's a subject dear to my heart..I could see these problems years ago...and there is no point me shouting 'I told you so'....

I shall now step down from this soapbox.....

[Anonymous]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

......I could see these problems years ago...and there is no point me shouting 'I told you so'.....

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So bearing in mind your first hand experience have you any realistic and practicable suggestions to solve these seemingly intractable problems?     

[jonsie]

As we get older death no longer scares us . Something I'll never be is a burden to my children. 

[Cleoriff]

@Anonymous  If I am absolutely honest  no I can't give any real advice on how this can be solved.

30+ years on from the Community Care Act being implemented it has taken it too far down the path of no return sadly.

Remember when this act came into being, many long term hospitals for the elderly were closed. There was also limited fundng for council owned nursing homes to be built.

Some countries plough money into their care of the elderly......looking after them till the end of life.

The whole system needs to be reviewed by someone who has an astute business background but primarily an inside working knowledge of health care.

[Anonymous]

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@jonsie wrote:

As we get older death no longer scares us . Something I'll never be is a burden to my children. 

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true with me jonsie re my demise ..... & ..... I too, will not be a burden to my son

I regret that he & his partner will have to sort out my house 

& I very, very sincerely hope I don't end my time on this, our earth in a care home or worse hospital ..... but ..... who knows ..... & ..... I don't dwell on this ..... likewise, I'm not the sort of mum to wishes fervently to see any grandchildren - this is up to my son & his partner - Im just happy they both stay safe, well & happy in themselves

what I intend to investigate is what MI5 & Cleoriff have said re putting my house in my son's name ..... however ..... there is a charge on my property ..... = ..... a family thing ..... & ..... this is the part I have to investigate with my solicitor I expect 

also something which may be of use to others, & this has a tech element ..... = ..... I have a document on my laptop called: for my son upon my demise, this I update on a yearly basis, my sister has a paper copy. In this document are things to make my son's life easier upon my demise eg what I'd like for my funeral, letting him know where in my office is the address book I keep all my passwords in, as he will need access to my laptop

I think it is up to us as individuals to make provision for our care in later life, as the alternatives are not really palatable

[Anonymous]

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@anticpated wrote:

At the end of the day it's all thermodynamics and the second law of it, entropy what must live also must die. Death is something I don't like to talk about and when the times I'll deal with it.

An overall analogy of this would be, for everything that people pay in actual fact, right down the molecules of air we breathe is that we don't actually own or have the rights to anything.. That's a very Orwellian and Dystopian point of view alas that's all to be said about that.

Care for elderly is such a neccesary and exploitable area. As recent reports of abuse and rundown care facilities has shown. I hope I am never in position where I have to deal with all of that.

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thank you anticpated

I have bookmarked your post

I don't know why, but this phrase has come back to me, from pyhsics at school I expect

'matter can be neither created nor destroyed'