In days gone past, it was quite common that if someone owned a property and they found it difficult to cope, then they would look to their grandchildren and see if any of them wished to move in with them and use that home to have their own children in.
This provided the grandchildren with an affordable home that they kept on the death of the grandparents as a thank you for taking care of them, they also had the use of childminders in house and the grandparents were looked after unless they require hospitalisation, otherwise they would die in their own environment with their family around them.
I would like the Government/Social Services to let people make their own choices
in the form of a living Will when they are well and able to do this.
Care home/hospital or cyanide pill...:p
In days gone past, it was quite common that if someone owned a property and they found it difficult to cope, then they would look to their grandchildren and see if any of them wished to move in with them and use that home to have their own children in.
This provided the grandchildren with an affordable home that they kept on the death of the grandparents as a thank you for taking care of them, they also had the use of childminders in house and the grandparents were looked after unless they require hospitalisation, otherwise they would die in their own environment with their family around them.
When was this?
I would like the Government/Social Services to let people make their own choices
in the form of a living Will when they are well and able to do this.Care home/hospital or cyanide pill...:p
Now if only cyanide pills were freely available and painless....
But with the over population of the world something has to happen, perhaps voluntary euthanasia is for another thread though?
Hi Crowan
I have encountered this more than once in my life experience. 🙂
Hi Crowan
I have encountered this more than once in my life experience. 🙂
Yes, and I have encountered similar, but the words "In days gone past, it was quite common ..." give a different impression than "more than once". I just wondered when "it was quite common".
HI Crowan
The key is from the amount of people who owned their own homes, which was not very common until quite recently, obviously before our time, it was quite common to have three generations living under the same roof, regardless of how small the roof was, or to have two or more families sharing the same home at times. 😉
Paul, I think that also we must not overlook the fact that most stroke and heart attack victims died as back then there wasn't the care or knowledge available that we have now. The elderly may have been frail but perhaps they were not as unable to do anything, or as chronically ill but kept alive?
I wonder how the recession and all the repossessions will affect care?
Yes people did die earlier, though not all, but we do not have to go back far to see that the thought of someone having their own room, never mind a whole house to themselves was rare.
As for repossessions, we will have to wait until the interest rates go up and then the vast rate of repossessions should force the over inflated house prices to drop, so that they finally fall back to a more sustainable and affordable level.
Jeannie, instead of getting quite upset, why don't you propose how long term care be funded instead? Most Nursing care costs £600+ per week, where would this money come from? We have a rapidly ageing population due to excellent sanitary conditions and medical care.
The NHS is constantly over-stretched and at a breaking point, so instead, how would you like it if all elderly that needed care were turned away and had to go return to their homes with no support?
Should you go into longterm care now, as your husband lives in the property still, he wouldn't be forced out of it, they're not demons. Yes it is upsetting to lose your memories and hard work but at the end of the day, the government and NHS aren't monsters, they can't refuse care and it needs to be funded somehow.
Maybe they should impose a small meagre tax where everyone pays an extra £1 a month to go towards the cost of long term care. We have a population of 63 million so generating an additional £63 million pounds a month would go a long way I'm sure.
Although not all 63 million people in the country are a) old enough to have jobs and pay taxes or b) have a job where they earn enough to pay taxes, so it's not going to be £63m a month, more like £30m/month (rough guess). Then there's the governments 'admin' charges, and costs to the tax office to handle that additional tax, plus the cost of changes to computer systems to deal with the new tax.... etc. etc. Sounds like it will mainly go down a black hole. 😉
Of course, I agree, the care has to be paid for somehow, as I've already said earlier in the thread.
All Love and Reiki Hugs
Did anyone watch last nights prog Protecting our parents? Part 1 of 3.
There may not be that many members on HP around an age where my kind of Post is going to have any interest. If there is then please share your views...
We (husband and I) have over the past few years thought about things you just dont think about when younger! We only ever had one child (grown, married, divorced) he is not in great health, nothing serious thank goodness but we wanted to try an ensure we would be able to leave him something when we are no longer here so we really struggled to pay a mortgage to buy a house...we could have stayed in a rented council house all our lives, had holidays, drank, smoked, fritted our money away, but no we were sure our own home would be far more secure.
Does anyone realise just how this Government can then come along and steal from you? literally steal the very home and any money you may have struggled to pay for over 25 years. This is the case if one person only is living and needing care. Words fail me on this matter, my friend, same age is in that long term rented council house, if she needs care, she gets it, if I need care (will shoot myself first) then I have to give the Government thousands and thousands, they would literally take every penny I have and then only give me in return something around £20 a week. This is living in the dark ages, this is incomprehensible, this is giving me deep emotional frustration I just dont understand how people are not marching through the streets every week of the year at this outrageous situation.
I just cant accept this outright theft, there must be something some loophole where they just cant completely get away with this surely something can be done about it? SURELY!
Hello Jeannie,
I am sorry that you might find yourself in this position and I feel sorry for anyone who is, or has relatives in a position where they need care. However, I must address a point that you raised about folks in rented council houses not having to pay for care.
My mum (who has since passed away) had Alzheimer's Disease for eight years, until it finally claimed her. From 2009-2011 she needed caring for, as she could not go to the loo herself, could not walk, talk or feed herself (Alzheimer's is not simply about forgetting; it's a cruel disease that robs a person of all his/her humanity and dignity.) My brother and I were caring for her at the outset and eventually she needed professional carers. Even though mum lived in a council flat she had to give up all her pension to pay for the care and my brother and I had to pay towards it too. Nothing was free. If mum had had her own property that would have been sold to pay for it.
I thank God that she passed away before needing a care home, as goodness knows how we would have paid for it. So thinking that because someone lives in a council house that they'll get free care, think again. They don't.
I hope you never need carers, Jeannie. I hope you have a long and lovely life.
Love,
Patsy.
xxxxx
Stop going without... enjoy it now while you still can. Or seek advice from a solicitor to see if you can transfer your assets over to your son now.
Maybe if you have "nothing" you will be able to claim some costs towards nursing care and then your son can top up the fees, so you can afford to go into a good quality home.
Your friend may not be so lucky. There are some lovely charity/NHS funded homes out there but there are also some bad ones. At least you will possibly have a choice where you go. Your friend may not if she only has what the government will pay.
Be at peace, life is what you make it and stress is a killer, so don't stress out about this, we all have to accept that there is just not enough money in the pot.