Treatment of older people (written in 2007) 

Some time ago, I read a newspaper article which told of an English World War II veteran returning to France in memory of his fallen comrades. It was clear to him that there was a charge to visit the site.  He asked the young attendant, ‘What do I pay?’ And, the attendant replied, ‘You have already paid.’  The newspaper commented on what appeared to be the difference of attitudes towards senior citizens between the two countries.  It made me reflect on how we treat older members of society

I remember in 1998, when the Chancellor introduced a tax on pensions.  He removed tax relief on pension fund share dividends.  It raised £6 billion a year for the Treasury.  It started a free fall in share prices; bankrupted a number of pension funds; and resulted in many organisations, outside the ring fenced public sector, closing their final salary pension schemes.

I recall the concern expressed by the elderly and their relatives when they were forced by ill health into Care, and made to sell their houses to pay for the NHS treatment they’d thought they had been paying for in National Insurance Contributions all their lives. 

Then each year, state pensions increase by a mere 2 or 3%, while Council Tax, one of the main areas of personal expenditure for the elderly is frequently raised by double this amount.  When people in their 60s, 70, and 80s withhold payments in protest, these people who have never broken a law in their life, are sent to prison.  Are these the same prisons which are too full to house burglars, muggers and yobs?

English pensions are one of the meanest pensions in Europe.  This is partly because in England, state pensions are means tested.  Much of the finance to which the elderly are entitled remains unclaimed because of the complexity of the paper work.  Those who have saved through small companies and private pension schemes are penalised and receive far smaller state pensions, than those who have never saved at all.

There are many other areas where current state action affects older citizens, such as the shutting of post offices; refusal to accept cheques or cash; and the requirement for people to remember credit card security numbers.

Possibly the meanest decision in recent years, was the ruling of the NHS quango, NICE, who refused the £2.50 a day treatment for patients suffering from dementia and alzheimers.  Like many in our society, I have relatives who suffer from these illnesses.  I am aware of the significant improvement in their health and well being from taking these drugs.  Annual expenditure on the NHS has increased from £40 billion to £100 billion in 10 years.  So where has all the money gone?

My Canadian great uncle died suddenly last year, having spent over 90 years leading an active life.  He had spent his late years travelling the globe.  He had already drawn up plans to visit us and the rest of Europe this year.  In Solihull, the existence of a wide range of local activities and societies depends on active older people.  Age is no barrier to a full and rewarding life.  However, surely we must judge society by the way it treats older citizens.  There needs to be a change in attitude and an overhaul of the system to redress the imbalance and provide the resources in pensions, health and other forms of support needed to ensure a much improved standard of living for the older generation.