Alibi to think this is disgusting re:elderly

[FairyFluffbum]

The new proposal for this council is to charge £26 a year to help the elderly back on to their feet if they fall. If they don't pay the charge they have to call 999 for help.

I think this is awful. Not only for the nhs as its a waste of time for a 999 call but for the pensioner itself.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/essex-council-to-charge-2592-lifting-charge-to-help-elderly-up-when-they-fall-a6778376.html

Sorry don't know how to link

I can't believe some people think it is right to have paid taxes all your life to support other people's NHS and social care, and then be asked to pay extra to be lifted off the floor when you fall.

It isn't 'social care' it is a basic human right.

And yes, 'times are tough' - but not so tough that we can't bomb Syria at a cost of £125,000 per bomb, or sell RBS shares at a loss of £13 billion to the Treasury. We seem to have money to literally throw away on these things, despite the government debt having doubled in the last six years.

This is an utterly shameful way to treat people who have already paid for years into a system which they expected to support them in their old age, instead they are paying a private organisation extra money so they don't have to live in fear.

Thank God I won't make old bones.

Hear hear

But the "all your life" thing doesn't apply to the current crop of pensioners who are averaging about 20-30 years of state support each, and are often taking thousands and thousands of pounds more out of the system than they ever paid in.

Something's gotta give, and 50 pence a week seems like a more than reasonable contribution to one's own care needs.

Well you see we don't think social care should be means tested or about what you paid in. Like the NHS.

But Coffee - they aren't being lifted off the floor in a timely fashion. I don't know if you've experience of this, but it's really distressing to see an elderly person struggling to get up off the floor (my DDad said he felt like a turtle or a sheep on it's back .) There is not enough money on the public coffers to do EVERYTHING, and until the govt sorts out the big corporations/billionaires and their tax, and everyone stops abusing the services we already have, if paying £26 per year means my 86 year old father is not having to lie on the floor for hours at a time, I'm all for it.

Not that we even have this service offered where we are, so it's a bit of a moot point anyway.

It's often a 4 hour wait for an elderly person who has fallen, from a 999 call to someone actually turning up. I'd be hoping the £26 would pay for a little more dignity than that

Surely they should have the dignity afforded to them anyway.

Not just if they can pay 26 quid

Sets a very bad precedent, but I see the devious (shitty) tactics:

• charge a "nominal" sum for currently free health care
• demonise the group it affects - people "rolling in money" from pensions / benefits / DLA etc while "hardworking" people have to subsidise them

The suckers accepted that, so then add "nominal" charges for visiting GP, calling out ambulances

Then no more free treatment to anyone who "brought it on themselves", so that's the overweight, anyone who ever smoked or drank alcohol ....

And it's far too expensive to support those with lifelong disabilities or SN, so ditch them too...

Bye, bye NHS. Died of a thousand cuts.

I wouldn't say its a tax on loneliness. Many family members would struggle with falls. My father is in his 70s and has medical problems that mean he is unsteady on his feet. My 77 yr old mother is fit & well & looks after him, but he weighs about 13 stone & she weighs about 7 stone. He is not alone, but if he fell to the floor there is no way my mum could lift him. She could call me - but I am a similar size as my mum so even with 2 of us we would struggle to lift him without a lifting aid. All their neighbours are elderly so could not assist. As it stands they would have to call an ambulance and wait for hours.

I can't believe some people think it is right to have paid taxes all your life to support other people's NHS and social care, and then be asked to pay extra to be lifted off the floor when you fall.

DH's and my parents worked about 80 years between the four of them. Didn't work through university (we did), the women didn't do paid work through their children's childhoods (we have). In our 40s, their children have done about 80 years of paid work already. We won't be putting our feet up any time soon. Well after the age they retired.

Now I value women's work at home and I understand they were doing the socially correct things during their lives. It doesn't make them more 'hardworking', 'deserving' and so on. They didn't fight in any wars and haven't paid as much tax as us (while receiving more in pensions, winter fuel and transport than we will).

Being humans in need does entitle them to support and healthcare but we need to stop prioritizing people based on perceived worthiness.

"I can't believe some people think it is right to have paid taxes all your life to support other people's NHS and social care, and then be asked to pay extra to be lifted off the floor when you fall."

I don't agree with the systematic dismantling of public services but I'm afraid I cannot bear the "paid in all our lives" rhetoric. It was never, ever than you put in to take out. There will be some people who can never pay taxes at all, they are equally deserving.