It was nice to be asked, but I declined the offer of a visit to the pub and went to bed early on New Year’s Eve. Instead I saw the New Year in from my bed, watching spectacular fireworks just outside my window and swapping a few text messages.
Having got up very late I went for a run along Brighton seafront. In this freezing weather that certainly woke me up a bit, which is the idea of course. I have got back into running again over the last month or so. One of the joys of living in Brighton is running along the seafront between the two piers and beyond. I guess I’ve been doing this on and off for nearly twenty years.
Soon after that was a visit to one of my favourite cafes in Brighton (and my usual Fair Trade soya latte), where I found The Independent had published my latest letter to them, an edited version under the heading “Scandal of caring for the elderly”. It was triggered by an article by their writer Johann Hari which brought back my time spent working in nursing residential homes for the elderly. Here’s an even more edited version:-
“Dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s is a physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually demanding job. Carers earn roughly £7 per hour. Bad pay, exhausting long hours in overheated and smelly conditions, inadequate training, staff shortages, complaining and grieving relatives, all are often the norm. In nursing homes and geriatric wards, I have known more than one excellent carer leave to work at a supermarket checkout for money and more self-respect, although they basically loved the job. Of course the managers and owners of nursing homes tend to do rather better financially. The treatment of many of our grandparents and parents (and eventually all of us) is likely to remain a national disgrace for years.”
There’s a jolly thought for 2009! But I shall post some more positive blogs soon… after a very difficult first half, 2008 finished on a pretty good note for me. Love and world peace to all.
