BBC News – Analysis: Why social care has to change

 

Everyone agrees the social care system is out-of-date.

When it was created after the Second World War under the 1948 National Assistance Act the idea was to create a safety net for the most vulnerable in society.

But the support was only ever meant to be short-term. Back in the late 1940s people tended to only live a few years after retiring.

Now the situation is very different. Many live for 20 years after stopping work and children born today will probably spend a third of their life in retirement.

Granted, advances in medicine mean people are living for longer in relatively good health.

But that does not mean they will not need some help with basic tasks like washing, dressing and eating.

BBC News – Analysis: Why social care has to change

Carers left in ‘absolute terror’ over the threat of cutbacks

 

FEARS over impending cuts are causing ‘absolute terror’ among those caring for elderly and ill loved ones, according to the Dundalk branch of the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

The effects of cuts to carers allowances emerged after a recent ‘Primetime’ investigation exposed the reality of life for those who are caring for relatives and loved ones.

‘Dementia and Alzheimer’s are the most difficult illnesses that can hit any family,’ said Mary Gaughran, Dundalk branch of Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

‘Whether it’s a spouse taking care of their husband or wife, or a child having to care for a parent, the relationship disappears with their loved one. Families talk of ‘losing’ the person once the illness takes hold.’

She added that the financial burden of being a carer is ‘enormous’ and can often lead to them having to give up employment to be a full time carer.

Carers left in ‘absolute terror’ over the threat of cutbacks – News, frontpage – Argus.ie

Letters: Social care will not benefit by £2.1m

 

I HAVE discovered that Harrow Council’s cabinet, at a meeting last Wednesday, approved the acceptance of £2.1million from the Primary Care Trust (NHS Harrow) into the adult social care budget and, at the same time, approved the transfer of the same sum from the adult social care budget to the ‘transformation and priority initiatives fund’.

This effectively means that the PCT contribution of some £2.1m will make no overall difference to the adult social care budget for Harrow.

This is obviously of concern to those requiring care and to their carers.

Letters: Social care will not benefit by £2.1m – Harrow Observer

Coroner calls for lessons to be learned following Norfolk man’s death in ‘horrific’ circumstances

A coroner has demanded lessons be learned after social services failed to check on an 82-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease who was then found dead in “horrific” circumstances.

Social services staff were supposed to check on Kenneth Mills four times a day, but they failed to do so and his son faced the “terrible trauma” of finding his father dead and his frail mother lying in her own urine next to him.

Coroner William Armstrong is writing to Norfolk County Council raising his “deep concern” about why the family were failed.

Bosses at County Hall have said the case has prompted a review of their processes and prompted changes to the way they work to prevent it happening again.

Mr Mills, from Caistor Lane, Caistor St Edmund, near Norwich, died from natural causes at home in September last year.

An inquest heard that Mr Mills, a former audio visual-technician, was found dead at home by his son Jeremy, slumped in his wheelchair with his wife Elizabeth lying beside her wheelchair.

READ IN FULL HERE

Joint Committee on Human Rights – Tuesday 28 June

This meeting can be watched from the start here

Committee Room 4a
Meeting started on Tuesday 28 June at 2.22pm
ended at 4.12pm

The implementation of the right of disabled people to independent living
Witnesses

1. Disabled people with experience of independent living issues
2. Carers UK, People First, Scope, and Age UK

 Visit the Committee’s homepage.

 

Burstow: pensioners will have to pay for their own elderly care

Paul Burstow, the health minister, said he expected a public outcry when detailed plans for the future funding of the social care system in England are announced next week, as he ruled out an NHS-style free national care service for all.

However, the minister suggested that the government would delay a final decision on reforming the social care system, prompting concerns that the issue could yet again be “kicked into the long grass”.

On Monday, a commission led by the economist and broadcaster, Andrew Dilnot, will publish its long-awaited blueprint for funding care and support for elderly and disabled adults.

Mr Dilnot was appointed by ministers to draw up plans for a new system in July last year, two months after the coalition took power, in an attempt to resolve one of the longest-running and most difficult issues facing public policy.

READ IN FULL HERE

Employment Support Allowance and Work Capability Assessments

submitted by Frances Kelly

 

Anyone with a long term illness or disability is already feeling the impact of the government welfare reforms. Incapacity Benefit has been abolished. Sick and disabled people are in the process of being forcibly migrated to Employment and Support Allowance. They are being subjected to Work Capability Assessments which are tests unrelated to their medical condition, tests which they do not understand and which have dubious validity.

 

The government target is for two thirds of sick and disabled people to be moved off the new replacement for Incapacity Benefit. This will be done by ‘helping’ them find work along with a regime of mandatory activity and  threats and sanctions. If this fails they may hit a time limit.

 

The main impact on the lives of sick and disabled people is fear. Fear that the meagre financial support that they depend on will be withdrawn. Fear that they will not be able to cope with the requirements being put upon them. In many cases the stress is impacting on their health and making them less well.

 

This is why the Impact Report published by the DWP on the recent proposed changes to ESA is truly shocking.

 

It isn’t just the inaccuracies in the report identified by Steve Griffiths that are so appalling.

  

It is the tone and focus of the report that is the real wake up call. As far as the government is concerned the impact of these reforms is not about the fear being visited on vulnerable people but solely about how much money will be saved.

 

Have the government completely abandoned any residual of duty of care to people with long term sickness or disability. Do the government now regard people who are disabled only as an economic burden to be minimised or otherwise disappeared.

 

Where is the compassion and concern for the lives of these people. Where is the assessment of how their lives will be turned upside down and made impossible as their only income is reduced and often time limited and stopped. Where is the covenant between the community and people who are disabled.

 

Fear and the loss of security, support and trust is the real impact of the introduction of ESA but shockingly these concerns are not raised in the Impact Report as the focus moves to saving money. The government has just wished all this fear and hardship away.

 

Further details can be found here

 

and here

Child Tax Credit award letter – disabled child element

Can you help IncomeMAX ?

Do you receive child tax credit, with disabled child element included?

IncomeMAX  need an example of an award letter. We do not need any personal information so the names/address/NI number could all be removed before it was sent to us.

If you can help please contact Lee Healey at  info@incomemax.org.uk  or via Twitter  follow  Income_MAX

Age UK reveals ‘devastating’ council cuts in elderly care

from Jeremy Dunning at CommunityCare

Councils are making “devastating” cuts of 8.4% to older people’s social care in England this year, hastening the “collapse of a crumbling” system, warns Age UK today.

The figure, based on Freedom of Information requests by the charity, is well above the government’s estimate of a 4.7% reduction overall in council budgets in 2011-12.

Net spend on older people’s social care will fall by £610m between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

These findings come the week before the Dilnot Commission is due to publish its landmark recommendations for the future funding for social care.

Age UK has previously predicted that council cuts from 2011-15 will leave more than one million older people in need not receiving formal care – up from 800,000 – and slash support for those in receipt of services.

READ IN FULL

 

Walking with David – I wanted to cry with pride

another contribution from Pat Onions

Last Thursday, 24 June, David took part in a 3 mile sponsored Sunrise  walk to raise money for Pain Concern which runs the successful Airing Pain. Pain Concern gives huge support to pain sufferers their families and carers.

So what, I can hear you say.  People are always running marathons, jumping,  sitting in baths of beans or keeping quiet for hours. They all want to raise money for worthwhile causes.

Why was Davids walk different

David broke his back many years ago and can barely walk at all. Anything he does from lifting a cup to reading a book is excruciatingly painful.

It is there when the lamps go out at night and still there when sleepy eyes open to hear the dawn chorus. So this venture was hugely ambitious for him and the support given by friends and family was overwhelming. He wanted to put something back into a service that has given so much to others.

photo courtesy of Michaelnemec

Right that is the easy bit. Now I had to get him + wheelchair to Arthur’s Seat for 6.30 AM….that is in the morning. For someone who only has one 6.30 in his day this was going to be a challenge before we even started!

We only live 35 miles from Edinburgh but that would mean getting him up about 3 AM. Yup that’s still middle of his night! I thought about staying overnight in the Capital but that turned out impossible to get a bed.

Royal Highland Show that week, Bon Jovi concert at Murrayfield and Armed Forces Day took care of any available beds. So I booked a taxi for something o’clock.

About 12 of us met up at the base of Arthur’s Seat in the good old Scottish summer weather – Wet.  Heather, our organiser, handed round T shirts which David put on over his shirt, cardigan. jumper & rain coat. It seemed a bit on the small size he commented!!

View from Arthurs Seat -

Introductions over we set off up a fairly gentle hill with David leading. I scampered along behind puffing as I pushed his empty wheelchair. Chatting to the others I hardly noticed the group had slowed to a stop for happy snaps and a quite breathtaking view of Edinburgh. The rain had eased and it was possible to see the Castle and across to the Forth of Firth. A beautiful city.

The route levelled out and the others tootled past. Slowly the path descended and this was proving too much for David. Walking downhill is far more painful but he was determined to go on. It was clear to both Gail & I that he was struggling with both legs dragging and the body wobbling.

I was so proud of him as I helped his broken body into his chair. Of course he wanted to finish on foot and of course we both knew he couldn’t. I wanted to cry with pride.

He hadn’t made it all the way but had ‘run his own marathon’. His distance walked? That doesn’t matter. His stubborn determination, my legs and his wheels got us to the end. I don’t know what the final total we all raised was but I think it will be in excess of £1000.

Thank you one and all, but most of all I say thank you to my husband David.