Report to the People
Long-term Care of the Elderly
In Greenock and Inverclyde, out of a population of around 63,000, 12,851 of our citizens are pensioners. It is our duty, as a civilised community, to make sure we treat our pensioners with dignity and respect.
It will not have escaped your attention that, over the past few weeks, this has become the burning political issue. As politicians, we have been left in no doubt over the strength of feeling on the subject.
And, while the UK Government has got the message on pension levels, the Scottish Parliament is playing its part. Every pensioner in Inverclyde will be offered free central heating and insulation. The move, which is on top of the annual winter fuel allowance of £150, will more than halve the average pensioner’s fuel bill. And, as was recently reported in the Telegraph, a national scheme for free bus travel for all pensioners has also been published.
Last week Health Minister, Susan Deacon, made a significant announcement on the Executive’s plans for the care of the elderly.
This is, obviously, an extremely emotive issue. Many older people worry about having to go into a home. But, the good news is that only 1 in 5 of pensioners end up in residential care.
It is clear that older people want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible.
Many of those in care are there because they need simple adaptations to their houses. At the moment, around 10,000 people across Scotland are awaiting such assistance. The package, therefore, gives councils £5 million to clear this backlog and help older people to continue to live at home.
There is also more money for older people who need it most – like those who have just come out of hospital, or who unexpectedly fall ill. These people don’t need to go into hospital or homes for the rest of their lives – they need extra help at home.
The point is to give older people dignity and respect. They have a right to live in their own home.
While these measures are clearly welcomed, there are still challenges to be met over, for example, the anomalies presented to Alzheimer’s and dementia suffers. I am looking forward to the forthcoming nursing review which will examine this issue.
It is rightly recognised that our pensioners deserve a fair deal. I believe that steps such as tackling fuel poverty, delivering free bus travel and giving older people the care they need at home will make a real difference to the lives of pensioners and their families.
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Open Government ] [ Scottish Parliament ]