How Are We Going To Cope With The Ageing Population?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27136608

[Gromit]

More immigrants.

[scooping]

Elderly people in England could move to an independent Scotland where, we're told, there will be dignity in retirement, the sun will always shine and everything will be lovely jubbly

[anotheoldgit]

If Labour hadn't conducted their mass immigration policy in the first place, there would be that many less elderly, the NHS would not be creaking at the seams, enough child places in our schools, and enough jobs for everyone.

[scooping]

Thought mass immigration was the fault of being in the EU, not of the last Labour government...Labour couldn't change the rules any more than the coalition can.

[sp1814]

scooping's correct.

Fact is, it's the taxes that the current immigrants are paying which fund the NHS and care for the elderly.

Also, immigrants are much, MUCH more likely to return to their native countries when they retire, reducing the strain on services.

Some seem to think that immigration is actually a strain on the economy. I've seen an interesting study on fullfact.org that refutes that.

Hey ho...

[emmie]

badly - as is happening already

[emmie]

many people appear to be on middle to low wages, those so called immigrants could well be, so will need to take out the pot as much as they put in, same for anyone, by our benefits system. if you think that they are in well paid jobs and are going to be major contributors think again -
sure NJ could explain this in a more concise way

[Svejk]

why are labour apologizing for their, mistaken, policy of mass immigration if it had nothing to do with them?

[sp1814]

TTT

Here's an idea...

In immigrant families, there is a tendency to take in elderly or infirm relatives. I'm thinking especially of Asian families where you will have grandma/grandpa living with adult children, providing child care etc.

This used to happen in Britain years ago, but much less so now. Perhaps tax breaks for people who take in elderly relatives? There would still be a burden on the state, but at least we would have the elderly actually living with people who love them...rather than being left in care homes (and we've all seen the horror stories about some of these institutions recently).

[emmie]

as to those returning to their own countries, seeing as how Poles arrived, then many left when our economy took a downturn and when things began to improve came back, this will replicate itself over and over, we are not a stable workforce, population as we once were. Mostly people who settled here did so for good. Those who came from the Caribbean mostly stayed, some did eventually go home, and a few friends of mine moved on because the work dried up here and now live in Canada.

those who are here for a short time, maybe a few years to earn some bread to take back home aren't going to be great contributors. its only a settled, permanent workforce, earning a fair salary, for a long period who are going to be major contributors.

[sp1814]

emmie

I'm not convinced by your conclusions.

I assume that immigrants don't all need to be well paid, as long as they are contributing tax and NI. And from what I read, there's a net benefit to the economy from recent migratory patterns.

But then again, this would include immigrants with key skills (IT, finance, doctors and nurses) which are generally overlooked when some think of 'immigrants'.

[sunny-dave]

We could adapt Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" ...

[sp1814]

emmie

But surely the best kind of contributors are those who earn enough to pay tax and NI and then return home before they can actually make use of services, such as the NHS?

I'm thinking of bar staff, electricians, plumbers, builders, roofing contractors etc etc etc from Eastern Europe.

You have these physically fit young men who are here for a few years, make a few bob for themselves, pay tax and NI, and then return home.

Isn't that money in the coffers for us?

[McMouse]

Ship the elderly off to countries with a low life expectancy…….

[emmie]

many elderly can't be looked after by the adult children, if they have serious problems like dementia, alzheimers, and need constant care, its a full time job, not to mention one of the most demanding of all, try looking after a sick relative 24/7, you soon become exhausted, especially if you have a family and a full time job, no one can manage that. There used to be more of a support network family wise, but that is not the case now, as children could have moved so far away, abroad even.

[sandyRoe]

Reduce their benefit to such a low level that they need to choose between keeping themselves warm in winter or eating properly. That should soon see an end to this particular problem.

[emmie]

bar staff many live in, are not big contributors tax wise, they will also access all the services on offer, if they are entitled and you only have to have a NI number, doctors, hospital, dental. what makes anyone think that these workers are being paid on the cards, i.e show up on the tax system,
how many people employ a plumber, small job and pay in cash, lots i suspect

[emmie]

mcmouse, that could well be here.

[emmie]

a much more transitory work force, an ageing population, one that hasn't been addressed by any government, why not, its not as though they don't get old, and surely this problem has been around long enough, not to mention that due to better care, healthy eating, and lifestyles we are living a lot longer, getting to sixty, not so long ago would have been considered old, now its not. Now because the whole pension pot thing has boiled over, short-sightedness on everyone's part, you will have to work a lot longer to likely get less.

[sp1814]

emmie

I remember far more elderly relatives living with their children in the 70s.

Perhaps it's because so many people have families where both parents are now working?