What Is This Country Coming To?

BERNADETTE · 20-09-2007, 17:54

I have just read a report in the Telegraph and once more I am dismayed at the way things in this country are going. A man who has multiple sclerosis has been told he must pay £147 per month for evening care. By staying in his own home this man must be saving this country thousands of pounds but now he is to be penalised by being asked to pay for the little care he does get. As a former prison officer he comments that prisoners get better care than he is receiving. In my opinion this is nothing less than scandalous and I hope the decision is reversed. Where are we headed when prisoners are getting better treatment than terminally ill people?

Bonnyboy · 20-09-2007, 18:11

Its bloody shameful. Im perplexed at how some of these decisions are arrived at. Some more figures were released today regarding the money/manhours that carers save the NHS and government. I hope the link to the article works. BBC NEWS | Health | Carers save the UK '£87bn a year'

shillelagh · 20-09-2007, 22:31

I can believe that. I used to pay £8 an hour for carers to come in and look after my mum plus a LCC Voucher. You got 28 vouchers per year for carers to come in and look after my mum, which equalled 4 hrs care or 1 night in a care home. I soon went through them. Ended up asking for extras which i did get because i had a friendly social worker who did look after us. Carers do a lot and save the nhs and social care a lot of money because they are unpaid. If they had to pay them the minimum wage for looking after a loved one - could you imagine it they'd be complaining they didnt have enough money.

Sorry i do get on my high horse about this - carers dont get much back up and more often than not they have to fight for what they do get.

BERNADETTE · 20-09-2007, 22:35

I'm with you on the cares but this poor bloke who also lost his wife to MS only has the evening cares, surely he shouldn't have to pay?

cashman · 20-09-2007, 22:36

get down off Arkle jen, dont think anyones knocking carers, just the system in play i think.

shillelagh · 20-09-2007, 22:45

Yes i know cashy it is the system that is at fault and always will be. The system is the vouchers - 1 voucher = 4 hrs care or 1 night plus £8 for stopping in a care home. oh and if you do have carers in the morning or at night or during the day you have to pay towards that as well. DLA is supposed to pay for the care. But how many people who get DLA use that and pay extra out of their benefits to pay for the care they receive. They dont receive enough to pay for their care. By the way it was £8 when mum was alive - i dont know how much it is now thats what it was when i paid it.

BERNADETTE · 20-09-2007, 22:52

Those figures are quite frightening!!

grannyclaret · 20-09-2007, 23:14

Its Sickening ,the Way This Country Treats Some People....

BERNADETTE · 20-09-2007, 23:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Those figures are quite frightening!!

Let me elaborate on that statement, I wasn't meaning the £8 an hour was a lot for the nurses but if someone on DLA has to pay that they won't be able to afford a lot of cover. They already need extra for heating and such, as we all know when we aren't mobile we feel the cold more.

WillowTheWhisp · 21-09-2007, 07:14

It's topsy turvy when someone who has broken the law gets better treatment than a person who has served the law. If he was on the other side of the prison bars now he'd be getting the best.

Ianto.W. · 21-09-2007, 09:00

When you worked as long as your health allows you to, paid into the system employed other people you expect the society that you helped to buildhelp you in need, raped by newcomers who come to this country because it is the 'promised land' it very hard to like them.

magpie · 21-09-2007, 09:07

I am a carer and I know we should all make a stand and demand we get more in the way of help/support and money... however we are so busy looking after our loved ones that we have no time, not to mention energy so the powers that be just get away with it....

also the bottom line in many cases is this " if you can not cope looking after the person anymore, then you ought to send them away" and this was said to me.... ( that of course I would never do) all I wanted was a little bit more respite . But no "There is no money in the pot" well not for people that really deserve it:

alan7554 · 21-09-2007, 12:08

just want to say yes its scandalous,my mum went into a nursing home in hapton,and had to put her house up for sale even though it had been left to me in her will,it was sold for 39,950 3 years ago, she is being charged 360 per week for the privilage of a room 12x 6 feet wide,and this comes out of the sale of the house and her pension money,she worked from the age of 13 -------60 and is now treated worse than a prisoner,she has had a failed hip replacement and now has to use a wheelchair to get around,she very rarely is taken out of her room except for meals and the cleaning is non existant(once a week) this country treats its old and infirm like s**te and need to get its prioirities right first,never mind giving countless of millions in aid relief to tinpot countries they should look after there own FIRST

BERNADETTE · 21-09-2007, 12:16

Well said Alan, we can't look after our own never mind anybody else. Was there not a case similar to yours in the news a few months ago? If my memory serves me correctly A man took his local council to court and won. I'm sure someone will remember more than me but it was a victory for ordainary people for a change.

Acrylic-bob · 23-09-2007, 14:54

And there was Gordon Brown on Television this morning prattling on and on about how he wants to personalise the Health Service so that it is more responsive to the needs of people when and where they need it.

Remember this when he calls the next General Election. Remember the billions of pounds of your hard earned money pumped into the health service to no good effect. Labour have been at the helm for ten years now, if things aren't working there really is no one else to blame but them!