I was extremely upset and shocked the other night after I watched Panorama – Britain’s Homecare Scandal. It was incredibly disturbing to watch how appallingly many elderly people are treated.
I am 32 years of age and the thought of growing old does not often cross my mind. However, after watching Panorama, I now dread the thought. Ageing is inevitable; we are all going to grow old at some point. However, why should growing old mean that many of us become neglected, vulnerable and almost invisible? I personally could not bear the thought of my parents or grandparents suffering like that.
The government want the elderly to be able to stay in the comfort of their own homes. Unfortunately, the appropriate care and attention is not always provided. This is not due to the carers themselves but the companies from the independent sector chosen by the government. With contracts being given to the cheapest bidders, it is therefore no surprise that substandard care is often administered. Carers are not given the appropriate training, are overworked, underpaid and poorly managed. The people that suffer are the elderly.
Not everything in this world should be motivated by money. The government should not be giving contracts to the lowest bidders, but to the companies that provide the best quality care. We should not forget that these people were once like us once, and helped to shape the world that we live in today and often take for granted.
In many cultures, grandparents often live with the family. I think that this is a wonderful tradition, but understand that this is not always practical. We have to remember that the elderly were once like us, young, active, fought for our country, bought us up and continue to help us for as long as they are able. My two boys adore both sets of grandparents and I don’t know what I would do without them helping to baby sit. I have been uploading photos of my parents and creating scrapbooks of their lives so that in the future my children will be able to easily look up their family history on Evergenes and they can in turn sit down with their children and tell them all about their great grandparents.
I wish I knew more about my grandparent’s lives, where they grew up, what they enjoyed to do etc. However this is not possible for me as my grandparents lived in India. I hope that people will also see the benefit of Evergenes and upload their family history online for all to enjoy in the future. It is completely free after all!