Читать книгу Not Dead Yet: A Manifesto for Old Age - Julia Neuberger - Страница 12

Then there is the question of care and support. Many older people need no more care and support as old people than they did when they were younger, but many do. Those with more money tend to buy that care in from private agencies. People with fewer resources are very dependent on local authorities, even though local authorities charge for the care they provide. What should be the quality of care provided in people’s own homes or elsewhere?

How would we make it better, and how can we make sure there are no more stories about care workers coming to put people to bed at 6 p.m. or earlier? How can we teach local authorities that you cannot ask care workers to visit three or four older people in an hour, hour after hour, and carry out important personal tasks like toileting and putting people to bed?

What would care look like, if it were what people wanted, and what care workers often want to give, rather than what they get now? Indeed, what would it look like if those who look after old and frail people in their own homes, in sheltered housing or in care or nursing homes were treated quite differently? Care staff are poorly paid, poorly regarded, and have poor self-esteem. Perhaps the question that we should really ask is: what possesses us to leave our nearest and dearest in their care? And why are we not making a bigger fuss about the fact that care workers are badly paid and poorly regarded when often they do the most important, and often most difficult, of tasks?