This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2013/mar/24/more-positive-attitude-ageing-big-issue
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| It is vital that we adopt a more positive attitude to ageing | It is vital that we adopt a more positive attitude to ageing |
| (6 months later) | |
| Ready for Ageing?, a report by the House of Lords select committee on public service and democratic change, reminds us all of what we already know ("We must meet the needs of an ageing country", editorial, Comment,). It powerfully argues that the system is not coping now, let alone in the next 10 years, and is a thoughtful, coherent call for action. | Ready for Ageing?, a report by the House of Lords select committee on public service and democratic change, reminds us all of what we already know ("We must meet the needs of an ageing country", editorial, Comment,). It powerfully argues that the system is not coping now, let alone in the next 10 years, and is a thoughtful, coherent call for action. |
| A different vision is needed – and it needs to be even broader than the one suggested by the committee since other drivers, as well as demographic change, are at work. It requires us to rewrite the social contract between – and within – generations, between women and men, between state and individual. We need a broader vision of the future economy and employment markets, infrastructure and housing in the context of a diverse and ageing society. | A different vision is needed – and it needs to be even broader than the one suggested by the committee since other drivers, as well as demographic change, are at work. It requires us to rewrite the social contract between – and within – generations, between women and men, between state and individual. We need a broader vision of the future economy and employment markets, infrastructure and housing in the context of a diverse and ageing society. |
| Getting ready for ageing is not only a matter for government. We all need to adjust: individuals, families, communities, towns and cities. In York, we are already working with partners across private, public and voluntary sectors towards creating a "dementia-friendly" city – part of a wider movement for change across the UK and further afield. | Getting ready for ageing is not only a matter for government. We all need to adjust: individuals, families, communities, towns and cities. In York, we are already working with partners across private, public and voluntary sectors towards creating a "dementia-friendly" city – part of a wider movement for change across the UK and further afield. |
| Our ageing society is something that should be celebrated, not ignored. Our changing demography provides us with a golden opportunity to reshape dramatically our attitudes to ageing and older people. We should engage in this great transition with creativity and with courage. | Our ageing society is something that should be celebrated, not ignored. Our changing demography provides us with a golden opportunity to reshape dramatically our attitudes to ageing and older people. We should engage in this great transition with creativity and with courage. |
| Julia Unwin | Julia Unwin |
| Chief executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust | Chief executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust |
| In some respects the "problem" of any ageing population is being sorted. Across the country the end-of-life care strategy is being played out. It commences with an end of life register: entered on to it are those of us who, when coming before a GP or other health professional, might make them think: "Now would I be surprised if this person was to die within the next year or so?" | In some respects the "problem" of any ageing population is being sorted. Across the country the end-of-life care strategy is being played out. It commences with an end of life register: entered on to it are those of us who, when coming before a GP or other health professional, might make them think: "Now would I be surprised if this person was to die within the next year or so?" |
| If the answer is no, they enter the name, debate it at a further multi-professional group meeting and add the name to a colour coding system that follows the patient to whatever destination they might arrive at. Assessment as to which colour coding is required along the way is debated at meetings similar to the first one. Unfortunately the in-between times for a patient's case to be regularly reassessed may go out of sync due to the numbers now entered on these registers. | If the answer is no, they enter the name, debate it at a further multi-professional group meeting and add the name to a colour coding system that follows the patient to whatever destination they might arrive at. Assessment as to which colour coding is required along the way is debated at meetings similar to the first one. Unfortunately the in-between times for a patient's case to be regularly reassessed may go out of sync due to the numbers now entered on these registers. |
| As an older person, my concern is for the skills of care assistants or medics either in care homes, hospitals or in our own homes, when death is helped along in this fashion. | As an older person, my concern is for the skills of care assistants or medics either in care homes, hospitals or in our own homes, when death is helped along in this fashion. |
| Life is precious and to be lived to the full. What I would not like to see for anybody is a life pre-empted, and death brought forward for expediency, due to funding and so on. What is needed is safeguards! I shall be writing to Baroness Julia Neuberger. | Life is precious and to be lived to the full. What I would not like to see for anybody is a life pre-empted, and death brought forward for expediency, due to funding and so on. What is needed is safeguards! I shall be writing to Baroness Julia Neuberger. |
| Mrs FM Cooke (retired SRN) | Mrs FM Cooke (retired SRN) |
| Peterborough | Peterborough |
| The way to achieve the seamless co-operation between health and social care, and other services, that you rightly advocate in your editorial is not through more restructuring but to require all public services to allocate 10% of the time of frontline staff to flexible co-operation with each other and with local residents to address joint needs and problems together through a genuine neighbourhood partnership. | The way to achieve the seamless co-operation between health and social care, and other services, that you rightly advocate in your editorial is not through more restructuring but to require all public services to allocate 10% of the time of frontline staff to flexible co-operation with each other and with local residents to address joint needs and problems together through a genuine neighbourhood partnership. |
| In contrast with the "big society", which tries to get communities to take over state-run services, this approach embodies co-production. Live examples show that it energises communities and services alike by supporting creativity and co-operation at the point of need. Most services already have a remit to "engage the community", so this is not a new burden, but they do it separately and weakly. How a strong version of it would work is explained in Rethinking Community Practice, just published by Policy Press. | In contrast with the "big society", which tries to get communities to take over state-run services, this approach embodies co-production. Live examples show that it energises communities and services alike by supporting creativity and co-operation at the point of need. Most services already have a remit to "engage the community", so this is not a new burden, but they do it separately and weakly. How a strong version of it would work is explained in Rethinking Community Practice, just published by Policy Press. |
| Gabriel Chanan | Gabriel Chanan |
| Ascot, Berks | Ascot, Berks |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |
Previous version
1
Next version