Quizzes & Puzzles0 min ago
Put Out Elderly First
90 Answers
I'm sure Foreign Aid has been discussed many times but now it is being suggested we raise Councul Tax to pay for elderly care isn't it time to look at the foreign aid to Despots and expensive "Consultants"
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The Council Tax method has at least two major flaws. First that it will raise more revenue in wealthier areas whereas in poorer areas many people don't pay Council tax and I also don't trust Councils to use use the money sells for that.
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The Council Tax method has at least two major flaws. First that it will raise more revenue in wealthier areas whereas in poorer areas many people don't pay Council tax and I also don't trust Councils to use use the money sells for that.
Answers
When I saw this on the news last night, Linda, stopping foreign aid was the first thing that I thought of. It seems that every time an ‘NHS in crisis’ storey emerges, then it’s the old folk who are cited as being the reason. I advocate absolutely no money being sent abroad: The millions that have already been sent over the years seem to have made little or no...
11:30 Tue 13th Dec 2016
Good call, cancel Trident and for that matter all defence budgets, that should do it. No elderly at all, in fact hardly anyone at all when Putin or the wack jobs from N. Korea or some other rouge organisation decide they can unleash hell without retribution. Sorted no need to provide when there is no one to provide for.
Then we meet in the middle then it would seem Togo !
But nowhere in my post did I call for the cancellation of all defence budgets.
It may surprise you know, that for a "leftie", I am quite a hawk when it comes to defence spending.
Our Navy is struggling to be effective with hardly any ships these days, and no aircraft carriers at all. I would support money being spent on building a replacement carrier, especially if it was being made in a British ship-yard, providing much need employment.
But my point still remains....there are many areas of spending where we could make significant savings, and use the money better on our increasingly numerous elderly. They deserve nothing less.
But nowhere in my post did I call for the cancellation of all defence budgets.
It may surprise you know, that for a "leftie", I am quite a hawk when it comes to defence spending.
Our Navy is struggling to be effective with hardly any ships these days, and no aircraft carriers at all. I would support money being spent on building a replacement carrier, especially if it was being made in a British ship-yard, providing much need employment.
But my point still remains....there are many areas of spending where we could make significant savings, and use the money better on our increasingly numerous elderly. They deserve nothing less.
Or try maybe reform this behemoth which subsides big business so that they pay rock bottom wages so that the tax payer can subsidise them.
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“Lots of these workers are not from Britain,…”
Quite true, Mikey. And increasingly, lots of the residents are not from Britain either.
Many of the workers who are “not from Britain” are from outside the EU. So their future will not be affected in any way by Brexit. If you believe that, following its departure from the EU, the UK will expel such workers who are from the EU but retain those from outside the EU you are suffering a bad attack of post-referendum hysteria and you should see your GP immediately (provided you can get an appointment). Those people employed in the care industry who are from other EU countries are about as likely as I am to be forced to leave the country whatever “deal” is struck following A50.
“Linda, I am not sure that diverting money from the foreign aid budget would provide enough for what is needed to keep up support for the elderly.”
In the report council bosses are quoted as saying they need about £1.3bn to plug the gap – about 10% of the Foreign Aid (sorry, “development”) budget. There are about 26 million households in the UK. If each was charged £80 (the most popular figure I have seen bandied about) this would raise a little over £2bn (provided everybody paid, of course, which is nowhere near the truth).
Elderly Care should not be funded or provided by local authorities. Firstly there is the funding issue. Almost 80% of local authority income comes from central government. The control of this vast sum is vested in a few local busybodies who have too much time on their hands. Like education, the service should be fully funded and controlled by central government. Secondly (again like education) there is no earthly reason why the standard of care should vary according to where you live. Thirdly, even though it accounts for just 20% of revenue, Council Tax is an iniquitous levy which takes no account of income or ability to pay. To increase it to fund this service will simply mean that those who pay it (i.e. the “rich” who include widows who happen to have chosen to remain in the family home and who live, perhaps on a fairly low fixed income) will fund the care – and be unlikely to qualify for it if they need it). Meanwhile others who, for various reasons pay little or no Council Tax will pay no extra towards it but will be first in the queue should they need the facilities.
The funds should come from central taxation to be shared by all who pay tax. For all their faults, income tax, NI and the various indirect taxes are a good bit more fair than Council Tax will ever be. Where the sum comes from should be a matter for government but there should be no consideration of raising overall taxes whilst huge sums are squandered abroad.
Quite true, Mikey. And increasingly, lots of the residents are not from Britain either.
Many of the workers who are “not from Britain” are from outside the EU. So their future will not be affected in any way by Brexit. If you believe that, following its departure from the EU, the UK will expel such workers who are from the EU but retain those from outside the EU you are suffering a bad attack of post-referendum hysteria and you should see your GP immediately (provided you can get an appointment). Those people employed in the care industry who are from other EU countries are about as likely as I am to be forced to leave the country whatever “deal” is struck following A50.
“Linda, I am not sure that diverting money from the foreign aid budget would provide enough for what is needed to keep up support for the elderly.”
In the report council bosses are quoted as saying they need about £1.3bn to plug the gap – about 10% of the Foreign Aid (sorry, “development”) budget. There are about 26 million households in the UK. If each was charged £80 (the most popular figure I have seen bandied about) this would raise a little over £2bn (provided everybody paid, of course, which is nowhere near the truth).
Elderly Care should not be funded or provided by local authorities. Firstly there is the funding issue. Almost 80% of local authority income comes from central government. The control of this vast sum is vested in a few local busybodies who have too much time on their hands. Like education, the service should be fully funded and controlled by central government. Secondly (again like education) there is no earthly reason why the standard of care should vary according to where you live. Thirdly, even though it accounts for just 20% of revenue, Council Tax is an iniquitous levy which takes no account of income or ability to pay. To increase it to fund this service will simply mean that those who pay it (i.e. the “rich” who include widows who happen to have chosen to remain in the family home and who live, perhaps on a fairly low fixed income) will fund the care – and be unlikely to qualify for it if they need it). Meanwhile others who, for various reasons pay little or no Council Tax will pay no extra towards it but will be first in the queue should they need the facilities.
The funds should come from central taxation to be shared by all who pay tax. For all their faults, income tax, NI and the various indirect taxes are a good bit more fair than Council Tax will ever be. Where the sum comes from should be a matter for government but there should be no consideration of raising overall taxes whilst huge sums are squandered abroad.
I would like to explain why this issue of Social Care matters to me at the moment. I brought my Mother to live near me 11 years ago. She lived independently in sheltered accommodation (privately owned) and is now 97. In 2013 she had a heart attack and when she came out of hospital I organized private Carers. She's saved all her life and had the means to do this. It cost her around £2,000 a month. I did lots of things for her and was there every day. In September 2015 whilst I was on holiday she was taken into hospital and over a period of two weeks was diagnosed with cancer. As they did not want any intervention surgically she wanted to return home. Because she was "Bed blocking" she now came under the Continuing Healthcare End of Life Plan which means it was up to the NHS to provide a care package so that she could could be discharged into her how home. This package was very comprehensive and included a "Waking Night Carer" just in case she needs help in the night, otherwise they just sit there after she had gone to bed. This night care plan on its own cost £800 per week! The CHC also funded her day Carers and increased them. She has now lived too long according to them and has had a review where it is almost certain that she will lose all the funding. She is now weaker, more sleepy with three lots of morphine a day. She has to get hereself to the bathroom so has regular falls and at the moment is living with a cracked rib, fractured shoulder and damaged legs. She is very independent and insists on doing things herself. My argument is why didn't they just supplement the care she already had and was paying for? Why was it all or nothing. One could argue that she has worked all her life and never claimed a penny of Benefit but at the same time she could afford to pay for some of her care. Doesn't make sense. Along with that cost there are frequent visits from paramedics when she falls, District Nurse visits and lots of equipment which, again she could have afforded to pay for. This equipment is often discarded rather than reused when no longer required.
One of the Care Agencies that the CHC used was a Rogue agency who only employed Eastern Europeans and the exploitation was scandalous but were used by the local authorities because they were cheap. They were poorly trained, little understanding of English and exploited in a most shameful way. I took one of these girls under my wing because the company were ripping off these people and I took on a couple of issues on her behalf. The instances were:
They were supposed to be with my Mother from 10pm to 7am but after looking at Sylvias time sheet she was supposed to be at another clients house 15 miles away at 7am. This meant her leaving my Mother at 6.15. She was placed in a small 3 bed house which was rented by the Agency for £450 a month and had to share with 3 men Romanian men with whom she didn't feel safe. These were the drivers and one was an alcoholic. They each paid £350 per per month, making £1,750 per month to the Agency. I tidy profit. There are other ways they ripped off the staff which I fond profoundly disturbing, Although I helped Sylvia and took her under my wing, she was totally unsuited to the job, being very nervous and responding to an episode of incontinence by running away and shouting 'Oh My God' over and over before ringing me at 6am. She had disappeared when I arrived. She resigned but because of a watertight contract her final salary was deducted of £800 to cover her air fare, training and petrol costs to take her to English lessons.
One of the Care Agencies that the CHC used was a Rogue agency who only employed Eastern Europeans and the exploitation was scandalous but were used by the local authorities because they were cheap. They were poorly trained, little understanding of English and exploited in a most shameful way. I took one of these girls under my wing because the company were ripping off these people and I took on a couple of issues on her behalf. The instances were:
They were supposed to be with my Mother from 10pm to 7am but after looking at Sylvias time sheet she was supposed to be at another clients house 15 miles away at 7am. This meant her leaving my Mother at 6.15. She was placed in a small 3 bed house which was rented by the Agency for £450 a month and had to share with 3 men Romanian men with whom she didn't feel safe. These were the drivers and one was an alcoholic. They each paid £350 per per month, making £1,750 per month to the Agency. I tidy profit. There are other ways they ripped off the staff which I fond profoundly disturbing, Although I helped Sylvia and took her under my wing, she was totally unsuited to the job, being very nervous and responding to an episode of incontinence by running away and shouting 'Oh My God' over and over before ringing me at 6am. She had disappeared when I arrived. She resigned but because of a watertight contract her final salary was deducted of £800 to cover her air fare, training and petrol costs to take her to English lessons.
I don't know if this has has been mentioned but I believe Scotland has free care for the elderly.
What is that all about, if I or my wife has to go in a home, I will have to sell my house to pay for my keep, and I still pay the full council tax.
How can this be fair when we have provided for ourselves and paid our contributions all our working lives?
When others have lived off the state most of their lives and others who are only recent settlers in this country and have paid no contributions whatsoever, but will still be looked after completely free of charge.
What is that all about, if I or my wife has to go in a home, I will have to sell my house to pay for my keep, and I still pay the full council tax.
How can this be fair when we have provided for ourselves and paid our contributions all our working lives?
When others have lived off the state most of their lives and others who are only recent settlers in this country and have paid no contributions whatsoever, but will still be looked after completely free of charge.
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