Sunday Express | Have Your Say :: Is it a national disgrace how we treat our elderly?

YES IT IS A DIABOLICAL DISGRACE HOW WE TREAT THE ELDERLY

20.10.07, 11:26am

My parents are now in their mid to late 70's they have been mugged several times getting on an off buses and robbed of their pensions by these heartless thugs.
They find it hard to live on their old age pension, so I do what I can to help them, often leaving myself short but that is ok that is the way it should be.
They cannot afford private medical treatment so they have had o endure long waits for surgery on long waiting lists, which breaks my heart. So much so I have now studied and passed several courses in alternative medicine and I am thank fully able to help them with alternative treatments, but if this were not the case, heaven only knows how they would have coped with their illnesses.
They dread going into hospital having recently visited an elderly neighbour in hospital which they said stunk of foul odours and was filthy and a health risk.
I am now looking at seeing how I can afford to pay for them to join a private health care scheme, to protect them from such a plight, but I guess this is by design of the government looking to save on NHS running costs perhaps to afford themselves huge pay rises which I suspect is something every government has so far been guilty of, amidst the attitude of many of them that the elderly are now living too long.
My parents could not afford to go into a private nursing home as they have no savings and so I recetnly bought a 4 bedroomed house, when I am a single parent with one daughter age 17, just so that if my parents need looking after there will be room for them in my home if they prefer that to a home, and since several of our relatives suffered abuse and neglect, even cruelty in nursing homes, both council run and privately run ones, I would not be happy for them to end up in a home anyway as I am sure they wouldn't either.
But what about the poor souls who do not have supportive family?
Those who do not have such support are doomed for sure to a pitiful and endangered end and that has to be prevented at all cost.
More money should go to the care of the elderly, many of whom risked their lives in the past two world wars for us, we owe them our own lives and far more respect than they are getting.
The way the poor elderly people are treated is a total disgrace and travesty.
I say give the pensioners £250 per week each in line with the average working wage and bring in more caring and trusted community support to help them and protect them and close down and sack those who ill treat the elderly in homes and hospitals.
The care of the elderly is Dickensian and needs a complete review by people with a bit more heart and respect for them.
If I were in power they would not suffer the way they do now that is for certain.

• Posted by: Amber • Report Comment

YES IT IS A DIABOLICAL DOSGRACE HOW WE TREAT THE ELDERLY

20.10.07, 11:24am

My parents are now in their mid to late 70's they have been mugged several times getting on an off buses and robbed of their pensions by these heartless thugs.
They find it hard to live on their old age pension, so I do what I can to help them, often leaving myself short but that is ok that is the way it should be.
They cannot afford private medical treatment so they have had o endure long waits for surgery on long waiting lists, which breaks my heart. So much so I have now studied and passed several courses in alternative medicine and I am thank fully able to help them with alternative treatments, but if this were not the case, heaven only knows how they would have coped with their illnesses.
They dread going into hospital having recently visited an elderly neighbour in hospital which they said stunk of foul odours and was filthy and a health risk.
I am now looking at seeing how I can afford to pay for them to join a private health care scheme, to protect them from such a plight, but I guess this is by design of the government looking to save on NHS running costs perhaps to afford themselves huge pay rises which I suspect is something every government has so far been guilty of, amidst the attitude of many of them that the elderly are now living too long.
My parents could not afford to go into a private nursing home as they have no savings and so I recetnly bought a 4 bedroomed house, when I am a single parent with one daughter age 17, just so that if my parents need looking after there will be room for them in my home if they prefer that to a home, and since several of our relatives suffered abuse and neglect, even cruelty in nursing homes, both council run and privately run ones, I would not be happy for them to end up in a home anyway as I am sure they wouldn't either.
But what about the poor souls who do not have supportive family?
Those who do not have such support are doomed for sure to a pitiful and endangered end and that has to be prevented at all cost.
More money should go to the care of the elderly, many of whom risked their lives in the past two world wars for us, we owe them our own lives and far more respect than they are getting.
The way the poor elderly people are treated is a total disgrace and travesty.
I say give the pensioners £250 per week each in line with the average working wage and bring in more caring and trusted community support to help them and protect them and close down and sack those who ill treat the elderly in homes and hospitals.
The care of the elderly is Dickensian and needs a complete review by people with a bit more heart and respect for them.
If I were in power they would not suffer the way they do now that is for certain.

• Posted by: Amber • Report Comment

DISGRACE

20.10.07, 10:19am

murder for financial gain a mortal sin, proven overcrowding conveyor belt policy causes spread of disease, students cannot have a decent healthy meal because educational facilities have been made to take on vastly more pupils than they can cater for, far too many people have come to this island.

• Posted by: WHAT4 • Report Comment

INPATIENT QUESTIONNAIRE

17.10.07, 12:44pm

My Mum had an Inpatient Questionnaire from our local PCT today following her brief, nightmare of a stay in hospital - how they thought she could fill it in when she's virtually blind I don't know!

I've completed it for her - questions on how clean was the ward, was she in mixed sex bays, was she treated with respect, were there enough nurses.....the list went on.

I doubt the comments I made will be taken seriously - just another paper exercise spending money that would be put to better use on more staff and cleaning materials!

• Posted by: YorkshireCarer • Report Comment

HOW MANY OLD PEOPLE ARE DYING FRONN HAI'S?

16.10.07, 11:42am

I attended a funeral for the mother of a close friend yesterday. Listening to the conversation of the many congregants present it was amazing how many of thier family and friends had died in hospital and coincidently has acquired an infection. In so many cases it was the infectiojn that lead to the death, not the reason for being in hospital.
I have just seen the correspondance from PHILL, re Prof Enright and his paper mentioned. Why hasn't he mentioned his discovery? What is wrong with the system . Presumably the NHS funds his research at Imperial College. Why hasn't the Government announced this MRSA 'Suoerbug' breakthrough? Why hasn't Prof Enright not spoken of his discovery of a MRSA killer compound in the interviews he has given to the media? Which drug company is withholding what appears to be a lifesaver.
There must be many more people dieing very day from HAI's than the government figures show. It has already been reported that the Kent 'disaster' Trust is not the worst. Where has all the MONEY GONE? Who will the Government make the scapegoat of for this gross negligence?
Time for radical changes in the NHS. Medical people should be running the NHS, not bureaucrats on fat contracts.

Nomis

• Posted by: Nomis • Report Comment

CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE OF THE WORST KIND

15.10.07, 4:03pm

Interesting that some of the contributors blame the government - even have a go at Gordon Broon, as if he had nothing else to do before breakfast but to pop down to the NHS hospital in question to check-out it's cleanliness. After consulting his crystal ball of course.
The truth is the blame should be placed at the door of the hospital in question including all those who work there, from the personnel responsible for cleaning to the receptionists, nurses, supervisors, porters, caterning staff, and management. In fact all personnel who entered that hospital who were not blind and had a sense of smell.

If my job was to clean the toilets then I would make sure I did that job to the best of my ability.
My conscience would not allow me to do anything less. I would rather quit than leave toilets in the conditions depicted in this article.

Ultimately It should be about accountability, responsibility, having a conscience and a strong work ethic .

If enough workers in this hospital had bothered to make enough fuss about the disgraceful conditions then the hospital would have to have done something about it.
They would be out on strike quick enough if they thought their overtime was being cut.

THIS IS NOT A CASE OF ERRORS OR MISTAKES THIS IS A CASE OF CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE OF THE WORSE KIND

• Posted by: G0LDENARR0W • Report Comment

HAVE YOUR SAY

IS IT A NATIONAL DISGRACE HOW WE TREAT OUR ELDERLY?