Mike Priestley: Who's Counting?

The system which is supposed to exist to help people to live in their own homes is full of holes and getting more threadbare by the minute.

Lots of us have suspected that for a long time. Now it's been confirmed by the survey carried out by a group of 30 charities operating under the umbrella name of Needs Must.

The findings are deeply worrying. Nine out of ten of those surveyed reported cuts in the help they were given with housework and preparing a meal. Eight out of ten were getting "less or no" assistance to dress and seven out of ten less or no help with bathing.

One couple in their 80s reported that their Council had said it had no money to replace their shower with a bath. Consequently, they were able to bathe only twice a year when they were taken to an old people's home to use the facilities there. Another pensioner had gone through a Christmas and New Year holiday period without food because no-one had called to help to cook it.

This decline in services has come about, apparently, because two years ago a disabled pensioner took Gloucestershire County Council to the House of Lords over the withdrawal of his cleaning and laundry help by the county's social services.

The law lords, by a majority, took the shameful decision that a council was not obliged to give old people help just because they need it, if it felt it could not afford it.

What a glorious get-out that must have provided for cash-strapped local authorities! And what a callous attitude the subsequent reduction in services represents.

"Sorry we can't come to help you bathe, cook your meals, shop for your food, clean your flat, get dressed and all the rest. We simply haven't the resources. You'll just have to muddle through as best you can. And if you become weakened, ill, depressed and despairing as a result, and turn your face to the wall and die...Well, that solves one little problem, doesn't it?"

What's happening, apparently, is that more and more elderly people, unable to get the attention they need to help them to live independently and with dignity, are being forced to move into residential homes - selling their own homes to help to pay the high bills.

This means they cost their local council nothing until their capital has dwindled to a sufficiently low level. By the time the authority is called upon to start to pay, Nature might have taken its course.

It all helps to reinforce the impression that in Britain, in this brave new millennium, older people are regarded as a nuisance and their needs are given a low priority. They are dispensable, and the sooner the better.

It can't be allowed to continue. If councils haven't enough money to look after the elderly properly, the Government should give them some more - ring-fenced, so it can't be hived off for other services.

According to the Chancellor, we have plenty in the kitty. Let some of it be spent on ending the shame of older people having to go hungry and dirty because the country won't spend some of its surplus millions on buying them the support they need and deserve.

I Don't Believe It!

There's been quite a rush of grumbles this week, so if yours doesn't make it....Well, please don't grumble. It'll appear in due course.

First on to the Moan Throne is Desmond Riley, who lives up Church Bank. He goes to Harden every day, by bus, to visit his brother, so he was well impressed when First Bradford introduced their Dayrider ticket. At £2 (and only £1.50 after 9.30am) it seemed set to save Mr Riley some money.

The problem arose when Mr Riley flashed his ticket to the driver for the return journey only to discover that it wasn't valid from Harden, and he had to pay an excess fare.

There have been a couple of grumbles in this column recently which have emphasised the importance of reading the small print. This was a similar case - but involving a small leaflet.

First Bradford has issued some for the Dayrider tickets showing the boundary, but if you haven't got one and rely solely on the poster on the buses, you might well end up thinking - as Mr Riley did - that for your £2 (or £1.50) you could travel anywhere within the Bradford Metropolitan District.

That would be just too good a bargain (actually, Mrs Mildew and I are agreed that the Dayrider is a pretty good deal anyway for those of us not yet quite able to take advantage of the 20p off-peak pensioner's fare). So my advice to anyone thinking of buying one of those tickets is to get hold of the leaflet first and find out just what area it covers.

And if you want to travel beyond that area, work out whether or not it will be cheaper to buy a £3 Countyrider instead.

Pat Brumfitt has been having problems with another special offer deal - the Passport to Leisure cards for Council facilities.

"My husband and I filled in application forms and I took them and our photos down to the Alhambra," she writes. "Queued for ten minutes, but it was the wrong queue. Directed to the Information desk by a very pleasant lady then told there was no-one on duty until 3.30pm (it was now 11.45am).

"Told I might get one at the corner of City Hall, we proceeded there. No luck. Directed to the Youth Information Shop. Closed until 1pm. I start work as a volunteer at 1pm so thought to try Age Concern. Bingo!

"I was a bit put out when told they are renewable after 12 months. It has cost £10 so far. Hope the discounts are worth it. Gentleman in Age Concern was very pleasant. Mind you, the smile may have been at the photos!!"

Nothing's as straightforward as it should be, is it, Mrs Brumfitt? It all goes to prove the truth of the old saying that you never get owt for nowt in this world.

If you have a gripe about anything, drop a line to me, Hector Mildew, c/o Newsroom, T&A, Hall Ings, Bradford BD1 1JR, email me or leave any messages for me with Mike Priestley on (44) 0 1274 729511.

Yours Expectantly,

Hector Mildew

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.