ANDREW TURNER MP
Andrew Turner MP
24 The Mall, Carisbrooke,
Isle of Wight PO30 1BW
Tel: 01983 530808
email: [email protected]
BY - ANDREW TURNER MP
Are you prepared
for old age?
I am sitting down to write
this on the day that the
Government announced the
idea of an ‘ageing tax’ on
working families in Britain.
Every working person would
pay a compulsory tax to cover
the cost of care home charges
in their old age.
General taxation and
National Insurance used to
ensure that we were all entitled
to free education, medical care
and a safety net later in life.
But hearing stories daily about
under-performing schools,
problems in the NHS and
pensioners living in poverty
and losing their homes to
pay for care it does make me
wonder: what are our taxes
being spent on?
Residential homes certainly
have their place; they and the
they provide companionship
and responsibility.
I believe the proposal for an
‘ageing tax’ is muddle-headed.
Not only would we be required
to pay even more taxes with
ever declining standards, but
it is also assumed we will all
be queuing up to secure our
places in care homes. The
Government think that where
we will spend the winter of our
lives is a foregone conclusion.
Clearly, some more imaginative
thinking is needed.
Luckily for our elderly
residents there has been some
creative thinking here on the
Island. Cllr. Dawn Cousins,
Sarah Mitchell, Director of
Community Services and
Claire Foreman, Head of
Community Care put their
heads together and created the
Free Home Care Initiative for
Islanders over 80, giving those
who want to stay in their own
home the necessary support
and resources to do so. Since
life
April last year over 1,200
people have benefited from the
scheme leading directly to a
41% reduction in residential
care placements. This has not
only saved the Council money,
it has brought many other
benefits to those who have paid
into the system for years. Such
is the success of the scheme
that Dawn and Sarah have
been invited to Westminster to
present their findings, and it
has won the Regional Award
for Health and Social Care.
So, in a society where some
of us will have to rely on the
State rather than love for
support in our old age, we
should be glad that Dawn,
Sarah and Claire have been
prepared to look at things
from a different perspective.
We should always welcome
for innovative thinking in the
public sector – may we have a
great deal more of it!
carers that work in them carry
out a vital and valuable role,
but such care is expensive and
many people would be happier
living in their own homes.
Sudden, unwanted changes
later in life can cause untold
stress, whereas familiarity and
a sense of independence allow
people to go about their lives
with dignity.
Sustaining a close network of
family and friends saves many
older people from depression
and loneliness. Sometimes
loved ones are unable to make
visits to those who live in
care homes as frequently; it
may be less convenient for
them or sometimes they find
the environment unpalatable.
Much loved pets, often banned
from care homes, give a sense
of well-being and purpose;
www.wightfrog.com/islandlife
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