I hope that those in Westminster - whatever their party - are hanging their heads in shame. This is the result of decades of ignoring "the science" - to use the current parlance - and I seriously question whether it will ever be fixed.
Those who have no experience of social care see it as funding old people, who should be selling their houses to fund their care. That became abundantly clear during the recent Social Care Reform furore. If society can't see the value, what hope is there?
I had not been aware of the different attitudes in other cultures, or that these groups rarely engage with social care. As their attitudes change, this will add more peopleto a system that is already failing to cope.
A round of applause for the wonderful Derek (?), caring for his beloved wife - although I'm afraid I feel inadequate, being a less than kind and patient carer myself. His despair at the lack of help given to carers was something I know many of us will recognise and understand, but he has actually done something to address the issue.
If I have a complaint, it is that it was never clearly explained that not everyone qualifies for LA funded social care. Many people will be funding their own care and will also be struggling to find carers in a field where people are departing in droves. And, whilst we all agree that carers are underpayed and undervalued, an increase in care costs will have the knock-on effect of self-funders running out of money more quickly, and depending on LA funding. I suspect that those who have no experience of the social care system assume that it works like the NHS - free for those that require it.
What is the answer?
I'm not sure that there is one. In an ideal world, society would accept that we need to have higher taxes to fund a social care system that we may ultimately never benefit from. Not optimistic on that score!
Those who have no experience of social care see it as funding old people, who should be selling their houses to fund their care. That became abundantly clear during the recent Social Care Reform furore. If society can't see the value, what hope is there?
I had not been aware of the different attitudes in other cultures, or that these groups rarely engage with social care. As their attitudes change, this will add more peopleto a system that is already failing to cope.
A round of applause for the wonderful Derek (?), caring for his beloved wife - although I'm afraid I feel inadequate, being a less than kind and patient carer myself. His despair at the lack of help given to carers was something I know many of us will recognise and understand, but he has actually done something to address the issue.
If I have a complaint, it is that it was never clearly explained that not everyone qualifies for LA funded social care. Many people will be funding their own care and will also be struggling to find carers in a field where people are departing in droves. And, whilst we all agree that carers are underpayed and undervalued, an increase in care costs will have the knock-on effect of self-funders running out of money more quickly, and depending on LA funding. I suspect that those who have no experience of the social care system assume that it works like the NHS - free for those that require it.
What is the answer?
I'm not sure that there is one. In an ideal world, society would accept that we need to have higher taxes to fund a social care system that we may ultimately never benefit from. Not optimistic on that score!