by Milton Johanides

Created on: July 17, 2009

Of course we all automatically assume that growing old is a good thing, but for many who find themselves neglected, racked with pain and immobile it is not a pleasant experience at all. Given the choice, most of us would choose to live a good long life,and the good news is that this is becoming more and more attainable as medical science improves. The bad news is that as more and more of us live longer, the competition for care, for hospital treatment and for money becomes all the greater. As a society we will have to make stern decisions in the years to come with regard to care for the elderly, keeping in mind all the time that "the elderly" will one day mean "us". The worrying aspect of this is that increasingly an attitude of "everyone for themselves" might grow among politicians who find it impossible to balance the books between an aging population and those who pay taxes. The time to act is now to prevent a social disaster.

The choice as always is between government responsibility and private initiatives.

To privatise everything - healthcare, pensions, residential homes - is always going to be a risk. Privatisation may work well when markets are buoyant and there is plenty of competition to stimulate quality and value, but during difficult times as we have at the moment, who is going to make up the shortfall? Or in a case where there is a monopoly by one particular company, who will control prices? The nightmare scenario of residential homes having to close through lack of funds, insufficient hospital treatment, and the drying up of pension funds is one problem. The other is that nobody will be able to afford the services available, except the very rich. Either of these scenarios leaves the majority of pensioners high and dry.

Always we must bear in mind the needs of those who are desperate for care. If we live in a society that is full of heartbroken, lonely people who have lost all hope, but have no humane way out, what does that say about who we are as a race? It is difficult for young people to imagine the torment of waking up another day in a world that doesn't care, where even popping fifty yards down the street is a major challenge. Every single area of elderly care must be looked at anew, from providing housing, to care, to medical treatment being available regardless of ability to pay. Otherwise we sell ourselves short and we leave ourselves vulnerable to a bleak and miserable future.

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