Who's caring for Wales
20I07I09
Who’s caring for Wales? The big question we all
need to address
RUTH MARKS, Older People's Commissioner for Wales
Hugh James Exchange (14I07I09)
Who’s caring for Wales? The big
question we all need to address
I have been in post for
just over a year and I have spent much of that time travelling
around Wales meeting and listening to the views and concerns of
older people. This week I brought those views to the Hugh James
Exchange, a popular business forum in Cardiff and got some very
interesting reactions.
As I looked around the
audience, I realised that many were in their 40s and 50s - so not
that far away from the free bus pass entitlement age of 60 and
wondered how many of them were really thinking seriously yet about
their future as ‘Older People’. I suspect that many of them will
want to have the stimulation of work well beyond the Default
Retirement Age of 65 and when they do reach that age, they won’t
think of themselves as older people. I suppose that we always think
of an older person as someone else, however, we do need to plan for
the future to make the most of opportunities that are
available.
This was one of the key
themes to emerge from the discussions during the Hugh James
Exchange as a panel of experts in the field responded to a wide
range of questions from the audience about the issues facing older
people. I was joined on the panel by representatives from the Royal
College of Nursing, Tenovus, Age Concern Cymru & Help the Aged
and the Alzheimer’s Society as well as specialist Hugh James
lawyer, Lisa Morgan. The key points that were raised included:
- The importance of recognising the huge
contribution made by older people in Wales
- The complicated systems around receiving and
paying for care need to be simplified and clear information
provided
- Dignity in care should be a fundamental
right
Social care as a
profession is not valued as it should be. This is, I believe,
because society as a whole undervalues those who need care. Their
human rights are not recognised. We need to see a fundamental shift
in how we view people who need and receive care.
We need a new way of
thinking so that the principles of independence, participation,
self-fulfilment, dignity and care are always in our minds when we
consider those who need care and how we help them.
This is about older
people today, but it is also about the next generation of older
people, and the next generation after that. My answer to “Who is
caring for Wales?” is that we all have an
important part to play.