Welcome once again to one and all !!!
It is always a pleasure to have you all visit.
I find myself daily learning and becoming passionate about social issues here in Wales and the world ; social neglect issues which anger and sadden me.
The inspiration for this post came from my friend and fellow writer Bill Holland aka billybuc on HubPages.
My dilemma this morning was how to set this post up so at the moment I am just running it as it comes to me.
I find myself being able to express myself deeply through poetry; therefore there will be I hope a balance of both.
Are you all settled ?
Right let us see how it goes .............................!!!!!
It is always a pleasure to have you all visit.
I find myself daily learning and becoming passionate about social issues here in Wales and the world ; social neglect issues which anger and sadden me.
The inspiration for this post came from my friend and fellow writer Bill Holland aka billybuc on HubPages.
My dilemma this morning was how to set this post up so at the moment I am just running it as it comes to me.
I find myself being able to express myself deeply through poetry; therefore there will be I hope a balance of both.
Are you all settled ?
Right let us see how it goes .............................!!!!!
Source: bbcnews
Source: mealsonwheels.com
More Than Just A Meal.
Here in Wales it saddens me to admit that the poverty of days gone by is still rife.
We have 'A Meals On Wheels ' system where the elderly are offered one hot meal a day delivered to their doors; however not free of charge !!
Sounds good you say ????
However these past winters where our temperatures have plummeted to -11 c many these individuals who have worked hard all their lives have to make the decision of whether to pay for a warm meal or turn their heating on !!!
Even more disgusting is the fact that our 'Councillors' came up with an absurd notion that instead of these daily deliveries there would be one weekly delivery of frozen meals which the pensioner could defrost and heat up in their microwaves !!! Never mind the fact that many of these people do not own a microwave and would never be able to afford one !!!Thankfully a kind soul wrote to the local papers showing up and slamming this ridiculous idea and nothing was heard about it again.
Daily deliveries of these meals are not just about the meal because to some the wonderful and very often voluntary workers who deliver these meals maybe the only visitors these people will have all day !!!
How can we put a price on this ???!!! "We Cannot " of course is the answer here.
Poor treatment of older people in the NHS .The sad story of Mrs.H.
We have 'A Meals On Wheels ' system where the elderly are offered one hot meal a day delivered to their doors; however not free of charge !!
Sounds good you say ????
However these past winters where our temperatures have plummeted to -11 c many these individuals who have worked hard all their lives have to make the decision of whether to pay for a warm meal or turn their heating on !!!
Even more disgusting is the fact that our 'Councillors' came up with an absurd notion that instead of these daily deliveries there would be one weekly delivery of frozen meals which the pensioner could defrost and heat up in their microwaves !!! Never mind the fact that many of these people do not own a microwave and would never be able to afford one !!!Thankfully a kind soul wrote to the local papers showing up and slamming this ridiculous idea and nothing was heard about it again.
Daily deliveries of these meals are not just about the meal because to some the wonderful and very often voluntary workers who deliver these meals maybe the only visitors these people will have all day !!!
How can we put a price on this ???!!! "We Cannot " of course is the answer here.
Poor treatment of older people in the NHS .The sad story of Mrs.H.
Health service ombudsman report reveals shocking treatment of the over-65s at some of our NHS hospitals who are being failed again and again
This following report is disgusting and a sobering account of the shocking lack of care at one of our so called Care Homes published by The Guardian.
It's so difficult to imagine us allowing any other group of people to suffer this indignity and neglect, yet when it comes to older people it's commonplace; as a society we often fail to value or treat older people equally. . It is time for us all 'to stand up and shout out loud' so that patients like Mrs H can be seen as individuals and that their needs can be seen responded to properly.
I am not convinced that at this moment in time as the reforms stand, that improvements will be delivered to the health outcomes and care of older people; which are so obviously and urgently needed. For the sake of all the people featured in this report and all of us who need NHS care now and in the future we need to 'stand up and shout out loud !!!'
Source of this article being
http://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2011/feb/15/poor-treatment-older-people-nhs
"Mrs H was an independent woman who lived on her own until the age of 88 and loved literature and crosswords. This picture of this strong, dignified woman contrasts with the appalling treatment she suffered at the hands of the NHS. After a spell in hospital following a fall, she arrived at a care home with numerous injuries, soaked with urine and dressed in clothing that did not belong to her held up with paper clips. She had several bags of dirty clothing with her, much of which did not belong to her and just a few possessions left of her own. She was highly distressed, dishevelled and confused and had lost 5kg (11lb) since her admission to hospital. She died in August 2010."
In another recent report it was brought to light that older patients were not treated compassionately or that their individual emotional and social needs were not met."One family was not informed when their father's life support machine was switched off; a husband was left in a waiting room, forgotten about while his wife lay dying in the ward next door; a man with advanced stomach cancer was left behind a drawn curtains desperate to go to the toilet and unable to ask for help because he was so dehydrated he could not speak properly or swallow."
I could carry on and on !!!It's so difficult to imagine us allowing any other group of people to suffer this indignity and neglect, yet when it comes to older people it's commonplace; as a society we often fail to value or treat older people equally. . It is time for us all 'to stand up and shout out loud' so that patients like Mrs H can be seen as individuals and that their needs can be seen responded to properly.
I am not convinced that at this moment in time as the reforms stand, that improvements will be delivered to the health outcomes and care of older people; which are so obviously and urgently needed. For the sake of all the people featured in this report and all of us who need NHS care now and in the future we need to 'stand up and shout out loud !!!'
Source of this article being
http://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2011/feb/15/poor-treatment-older-people-nhs
Whenever I get on my soap box about our atrocious lack of care for the elderly I very often return to one memory !!!
Around eight years ago I ran a local Bail Hostel for Young Offenders in conjunction with a Local Housing Association.
Around this time the Association was on the verge of moving into a newly built property where money was not an issue !!!
Thick carpets covered the floors; heating was turned up sky high; furniture and all other facilities were hi tech to say the least.
However it wasn't just all these money wasting factors that angered me most !!
Oh no what stays in my mind is the amount of money that was spent on plants to decorate each office and corridor in this new building.
From huge Cheese Plants , to enormous Yuccas, magnificent Umbrella Trees and the list goes on and on!!! I cannot remember the sum of all these plants but I can assure you that it was atrociously high!!
Compare this story to the sad tale of Mrs H and I am sure you will understand my anger !!!
One kind carer's plea: "Do your bit to help stop older people feeling lonely".
Around eight years ago I ran a local Bail Hostel for Young Offenders in conjunction with a Local Housing Association.
Around this time the Association was on the verge of moving into a newly built property where money was not an issue !!!
Thick carpets covered the floors; heating was turned up sky high; furniture and all other facilities were hi tech to say the least.
However it wasn't just all these money wasting factors that angered me most !!
Oh no what stays in my mind is the amount of money that was spent on plants to decorate each office and corridor in this new building.
From huge Cheese Plants , to enormous Yuccas, magnificent Umbrella Trees and the list goes on and on!!! I cannot remember the sum of all these plants but I can assure you that it was atrociously high!!
Compare this story to the sad tale of Mrs H and I am sure you will understand my anger !!!
One kind carer's plea: "Do your bit to help stop older people feeling lonely".
Dropping in the Sunday paper or saying good morning over the garden fence can alleviate an older person’s sense of isolation. Photograph: Rex Features
Are we guilty maybe at times of not caring enough??
Do we maybe spend too much time slamming the government for their obvious shortcomings when we ourselves could be doing a lot more than we are ???
Before you reply read this next storey from one caring lady 'Erin Mee'.
This is a time when we all need to stop and search our hearts and souls honestly for the answer !!!!
I know I have and I could certainly be doing a lot more!!!
How about you ???
Do we maybe spend too much time slamming the government for their obvious shortcomings when we ourselves could be doing a lot more than we are ???
Before you reply read this next storey from one caring lady 'Erin Mee'.
"I work as a carer for a domiciliary and social care company, which enables vulnerable, elderly and disabled people to remain in their own homes. The training for this job taught us to be wary of nosey neighbours; those friends who call a bit too regularly or control things a bit too much. This is sensible to protect these vulnerable people from rare instances of abuse or exploitation.
Well, eight months into the job and I'm still on the lookout for any interference from anyone, bar relatives, in the 20-mile radius I cover, which includes the town I live in, its many surrounding villages, and other more remote rural areas and seaside towns. Seldom have I seen neighbours making an effort, friends calling in, indeed anyone making a contribution to the quality of these people's lives, other than those who are being paid to do so.
Ralph used to run the pub in one of the villages I work in. He was a popular landlord – he has the photographs on his wall and the stories to prove it. Ralph has just turned 98. I popped in for his usual 15-minute call, squeezed into my rota between two time-critical calls. Ralph is housebound, but he is largely self-caring. Social services provide him with just 15 minutes a day for a carer to check his general wellbeing, to make his bed and help put his slippers on, as he can't bend down. These 15 minutes are the only human contact Ralph has each day, except for a niece who pops round with food shopping once a fortnight.
When I arrive, Ralph is sat at the kitchen table as usual and, when I leave, there he will sit for the remainder of the day, staring out of the window. You'd think having a 98th birthday is an achievement, but Ralph hasn't celebrated his birthday for 20 years. Since his wife died he's had no one to celebrate it with. He wouldn't have even told me it was his birthday had I not seen that he'd written it on the calendar.
Did he have any birthday cards? Did anyone pop in to see him or give him a quick phone call? Sadly not, but Ralph isn't surprised or even bitter because it's been that way for years. As I walk from his house to my car, his neighbours awkwardly avoid noticing me as they potter in their gardens. I can see Ralph through the window watching all the activity on the street, waiting in vain to catch someone's eye for a wave or smile."
Source of above article : http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/26/care-workers-plea-older-people-lonely
This is a time when we all need to stop and search our hearts and souls honestly for the answer !!!!
I know I have and I could certainly be doing a lot more!!!
How about you ???
Source: gimages
A Fitting Poem.
At the start of this post I said that I wasn't sure of how it was going to run ;I did have two poems ready but have now decided to compose a poem from my deep in my heart which is the only way I find it fitting to finish this hub.
I Do Not Ask For The World.
Source: gimages
I do not ask for the world
I do not ask for gold
I only ask for someone
To take my hand and hold.
x
From a child I knew poverty
From a child I knew true love;
Today I ask for compassion
From the Lord up above.
x
Reg my childhood sweetheart
Reg I married for better or worse;
He has long since departed
As I sit to write this verse.
x
Each day I am lonely
Each day I am cold;
My daughter too far to visit
Or this is what I'm told.
x
I sit here in my over coat
I sit here in cap and gloves;
I wish I could fly to freedom
On the wings of those Doves.
x
It is now my time for bed
It is now time for sleep;
I say my prayers each night
Sweet memories I keep.
x
So if you have a moment
So if you have some time;
Please come and visit
A happy ending for this rhyme.
I do not ask for gold
I only ask for someone
To take my hand and hold.
x
From a child I knew poverty
From a child I knew true love;
Today I ask for compassion
From the Lord up above.
x
Reg my childhood sweetheart
Reg I married for better or worse;
He has long since departed
As I sit to write this verse.
x
Each day I am lonely
Each day I am cold;
My daughter too far to visit
Or this is what I'm told.
x
I sit here in my over coat
I sit here in cap and gloves;
I wish I could fly to freedom
On the wings of those Doves.
x
It is now my time for bed
It is now time for sleep;
I say my prayers each night
Sweet memories I keep.
x
So if you have a moment
So if you have some time;
Please come and visit
A happy ending for this rhyme.
Source: gimages
Is there someone near you who you can reach out to ???
Take the time to share a little of your time ; the benefits to yourself as well as someone else can be so rewarding.
Take the time to find out.
This brings me back once again to my friend Bill whom I mentioned at the beginning of this post and maybe for those of you who haven't already done so then maybe you would like to follow his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groups/294777667307474/ which is a site dedicated to helping the less-fortunate in this world. A site dedicated to bringing us all closer. A site dedicated to...loving one another.
Thank you so much to you all for taking the time to stop by and here's lots of love to you all from my little corner of Wales.
Eddy.
Take the time to share a little of your time ; the benefits to yourself as well as someone else can be so rewarding.
Take the time to find out.
This brings me back once again to my friend Bill whom I mentioned at the beginning of this post and maybe for those of you who haven't already done so then maybe you would like to follow his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groups/294777667307474/ which is a site dedicated to helping the less-fortunate in this world. A site dedicated to bringing us all closer. A site dedicated to...loving one another.
Thank you so much to you all for taking the time to stop by and here's lots of love to you all from my little corner of Wales.
Eddy.
Lovely piece of work with an incredibly important message. Thank you, of course, for mentioning me, but more importantly thank you for writing this important message.
ReplyDeletelove,
billy