Key Quotes - The Elderly

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




It’s been said, somewhat optimistically, that life begins at 40. Now it seems a more accurate adage might read: Mid-life begins at 40. Or to be precise, according to a study, which reveals general attitudes to youth and ageing, the age at which we should stop calling ourselves young is 40 years, eight months and two weeks. And, rather worryingly, the Britons surveyed reckon old age begins when people reach the age of 59 years, two months and two weeks….The gap may be down to men placing more emphasis on diminishing strength as a mark of ageing, or because women tend to live longer….The Department for Work and Pensions said 'the disparity in perceptions' showed 'the potential for age stereotypes to be applied in very inconsistent ways'.
The Elderly	Daily Mail Jan 1 2013



Wealthy pensioners should be stripped of universal benefits such as free bus passes and winter fuel payments before the next election, Nick Clegg suggested last night. The Deputy Prime Minister indicated he was considering scrapping the handouts as part of the coalition’s final spending review. Earlier Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander launched a crackdown on tax-dodgers, claiming up to £3 billion could be brought in by targeting Britons who stash their money in Liechtenstein.
The Elderly	The Sentinel – 26th September 2012



More than a third of men over 75 confess to feeling lonely, according to research. 36% who live alone are unhappy and spend more than 12 hours a day on their own. They are more likely to be lonely than women, but are much less likely to confide in friends and family about their feelings. The findings, by the age charity WRVS, also highlight how elderly men are socially isolated, with 41% typically having two or fewer face-to-face conversations a day and 3% having none at all. The research suggests up to 200,000 men over 75 battle loneliness. This is widely considered to be a serious health issue for older people, as those living a solitary life are more likely to become ill and need hospital care. Worryingly, although 54% of the lonely men admit to feeling depressed, 75% have never sought help. The main cause of loneliness for older men was the death of a partner (62%), followed by losing companions their own age (54%). However, 85% of the lonely men said they felt better after seeing friends or family. More than one In five – 21% - said they didn't leave the house for days and 9% said they no longer ate properly. One in eight also said they worried about their mental health because they had no one to talk to.
The Elderly	The Daily Mail July 26 2012



One in four people in their eighties is suffering needlessly because of undiagnosed heart problems that can be treated, a study has suggested. Simple heart treatments could prolong and improve their quality of life, said researchers at Newcastle University. Their study found that one in four people aged between 87 and 89 had undiagnosed symptoms of early heart failure, leaving patients feeling exhausted and breathless because the heart is not beating strongly enough. Several studies have highlighted how the elderly’s illnesses are not investigated thoroughly and they are not offered treatment, leading to new rules being introduced to outlaw ageism in the NHS.
The Elderly	The Daily Telegraph July 25 2012



Three senior judges found that it was not acceptable for the mother to block the father's reasonable efforts to see his two daughters. They urged all separated parents to see the "bigger picture" and consider the harm that legal disputes cause children. Lord Justice McFarlane said mothers and fathers had "a responsibility and a duty" to help children maintain contact with the other parent. The Government has announced plans to reform the law to enable fathers to see their children. The changes would to spell out the right of children to have a "meaningful relationship" with both par¬ents after a separation.
The Elderly	The Daily Telegraph July 25 2012



Denying treatment to Health Service patients because they are too old is to be outlawed.From October, the elderly will be given the right to sue if they have faced age-discrimination by NHS staff. Those refused operations, tests and scans routinely offered to younger patients will be able to take legal action against individual members of staff or trusts. Patients - or their relatives - will also be able to go to court and claim compensation if they have been treated without dignity on hospital wards. The measure comes amid mounting evidence that the elderly are routinely being refused treatments for cancer, heart problems and strokes because of their age. Doctors have admitted that they often make judgments that are based on a patient's date of birth before even seeing them. And a spate of damning reports have revealed how the elderly are routinely left hungry, dehydrated and in soiled clothing on NHS wards as they struggle to make themselves heard.
The Elderly	The Daily Mail June 12 2012



Families should be given state funding to care for their elderly relatives at home, a group of Conservative MPs has said. The current system means it is cheaper for families to put relations in the hands of local council-run care services, accord¬ing to a report from the Free Enterprise Group. The organisation said the Government could save an estimated £1.14billion a year by funding families directly. Such a move would improve "quality of life" for the elderly, allowing them to stay at home "and be looked after by the peo¬ple that know them best". Charities and campaigners have warned that funding cuts have left council-supported services in crisis, with more elderly people kept in hospital for longer because of a shortage of nursing home places.
The Elderly	The Daily Telegraph May 2 2012



A dementia patient was left to crawl naked around a filthy room in a Bupa care home because the manager was more interested in 'maximising profits and cutting costs', a court heard. Joyce Farrow, 90, spent two months in the privately run home before she was taken to hospital with a black eye and bruises. She was also suffering from an infection and dehydration and died five days later. Doctors were so concerned about her condition that they called police. Yesterday a judge at Liverpool Crown Court accused Bupa of putting 'financial interests to fill beds' above the care of its patients as he sentenced the manager of the home, Karen Southern, 52, for wilful neglect. Southern's prosecution was one of the first under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, designed to protect elderly and vulnerable patients.
The Elderly	Daily Mail - March 17 2012



‘The dying “must be given religious support”’ was the headline in the Daily Mail over a report on NHS guidelines which state that ‘dying patients should have access to religious or spiritual leaders, including NHS chaplains’. Simon Chapman of the National Council for Palliative Care said: ‘We only get one chance to get it right for people at the end of their lives.’
The Elderly	The War Cry, 10 December 2011



The Government is not doing enough to avoid a repeat of the Southern Cross care homes crisis, an influential group of MPs have warned. Neither Whitehall nor local authorities are monitoring the financial health of providers, and some companies are racking up huge debts, according to the Public Accounts Committee. Southern Cross’s collapse in the summer caused turmoil for more than 30,000 elderly and vulnerable people in the UK.
The Elderly	The Sentinel, December 6, 2011



In the winter of 1999/2000 48,000 pensioners have lost their lives over the winter period through cold related problems and poverty. In 2009/10 there were 10,600 excess winter deaths in males while there were 14,800 excess winter deaths in females.
The Elderly	The Sentinel 17th November 2011



Moving to a flat-rate state pension would be “simpler and fairer” for retiring workers, pensions minister Steve Webb said as he unveiled reform plans. Mr Webb said women and the self-employed would be among the winners of the switch which would result in a £140-a-week payment at present prices. Pensioners today receive around £97.65, but that is aided by means-tested credits which can take it to £132.60. But the Government came under fire for failing to extend the new system to existing pensioners.
The Elderly	The Sentinel, April 5, 2011



A highly critical study has warned that hospitals and care homes are breaking the law by 'restraining' the elderly without authority - locking them in rooms overnight, sedating them or even binding them to beds and chairs. The inquiry by the Care Quality Com¬mission points out that nurses and care home staff often resort to such measures to prevent patients coming to harm through falls and other injuries - but by law they must apply for permission. The commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England, warned that many staff are unaware of this.
The Elderly	Daily Mail 16th March 2011



Police are visiting elderly and vulnerable residents in a bid to help stop them being targeted by bogus callers. Officers in Newstead, Stoke-on-Trent, will call at around 180 homes to offer advice and security measures to those who need it.
The Elderly	The Sentinel- 19 August 2009



The last survivor of the sinking of the Titanic has died aged 97. Milvina Dean was nine weeks old when the liner sank after hitting an iceberg in the early hours of April 15, 1912, on its maiden voyage from Southampton. The disaster resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people in the North Atlantic. Miss Dean passed away on Sunday at the care home in Hampshire where she lived.
The Elderly	The Sentinel- 1 June 2009

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