Age UK say, “No-one should be left without the care they need or forced to sell their home to get help. But at the moment this could happen to any one of us. Our new Government has the power to fix this.”
Age UK have created a letter to Boris Johnson for you to sign here. The contents of the letter are below.
Dear Prime Minister,
Everyone should be able to get good quality care when they need it. However, at the moment our broken system condemns 1.5 million older people to struggle on alone. It robs them of their dignity, leaves families without support, and costs people their life savings.
Please keep your promise and set out a plan to fix care for good.
We need a new national system that is fair, free at the point of use and available to all of us when we need it.
Yours sincerely,
Thanks for taking the time to write in Anthony
Thanks for your comment William
When Boris was on the election trail he stated on TV , That nobody should have to sell their home to get care , I for one hope this was just not an election gimmick just for voting ,Because he wats to remember , the one thing that the elderly do , is go out and VOTE .
Unequal Treatment – Unfair Action – Discriminatory Practice
Briefly, the patient my wife (72) had been hospitalised in Inniskillen Co, Fermanagh, since December 2018. Apart from birthing our 3 children, it is the first time she has been a general hospital in-patient. She was admitted due to cardiac concerns. Up until time of writing she has undergone surgery in Belfast to remove a brain tumour, (Cushings Disease), experienced two heart attacks, a stroke and has had in Altnegavin Hospital, Londonderry – two cardiac stents inserted. She now awaits further Out-Patient clinical assessment of occluded carotid arteries.
At time of writing, the patient has been moved to a private nursing home in Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh. I was led to believe she was to transfer to a nursing area but she is now in a residential part of the Home. This stay was for a 6 week’s assessment as the family home may require modifications to assist ongoing care. Or, subject to progress, residential care may be permanent. She continues to reside in the care facility mentioned above.
I understand that I will be required to pay for my wife’s care and have made it clear to authorities that I believe this to be unfair, and given that other Home occupants are receiving the same care as my wife provided free, is patently unequal treatment and discriminatory.
As a married couple, who celebrated their 50 years Anniversary in September 2018, we have a full 45 years completion of National Insurance Contributions and full State Retirement Pensions. I expected to be required to abate the patient’s pension to the Home care costs and the rest to be met by the Health Authority. After all, we have arguably already paid fully in advance by statutory Contribution.
Additionally we both continue to income pay tax which is deducted monthy from our state retirement pensions and my Civil Service pension.
We both have spent a full working life in public service: my wife in Nursing: me in Social Work. Additionally, since his infancy, cherished and cared for a multiple mentally and physically disabled son (43) whose life-time afflictions were caused by a vaccinal meningial encephalitis. In retirement I have voluntarily chaired 3 local registered Charities and served 6 years as a Police Custody Suite Visitor in counties Fermanagh & Tyrone. We own the family home outright and have savings which are about to be raided by Social Services. It is now clear that the Health Service provides long term care charged to the financially prudent and responsible citizens. In contrast, others less provident benefit free in favourable discrimination.
I wish the Equality Commission to advise me on, what I consider a case of denied social justice, given the above reasons stated: I would be interested also to learn of comparable situations to those I have described herein. I would appreciate obtaining knowledge of outcomes of any related or specific Tribunal considerations.