General Chat

My friend works for the prison service and has seen and been told of the life they have in there, seems to me the only ones being punished are the friends and family of the prisoners.
My Dad, with our help looked after Mum who had Dementia and we were all determined that she wouldn't go to a home, she didn't and died with us there.
My Mother in law is in her own home and has carers, on both counts it is cheaper for the government to let that happen.
Gone are the days when old people's homes and care homes were local council run and free to the residence and their families.

The OP has been doing the rounds for as many years ( at least) as i have been here, it was tosh then and it's tosh now, it's also been amended from the original ( as that was US based ...and from what I've seen of prisons in the US was even less true of them there than it is here).

Would I prefer to be a pensioner struggling along in my own home but able to look out of window at my garden and the sky or be locked up in a small room possibly 23 hours out of 24? 'Open prisons' might sound better than the 'lock em up and throw away the key' variety but I wouldn't want to be in one just the same.

What IS an issue is that 'we' don't provide adequate care for the elderly in their own homes, enablling them to stay there and 'we' don't provide enough support for carers who do that, whether they are family or paid for.

Let's just tar all nursing homes with the same brush.

And does anyone really believe that prison is like (even a Travelodge) hotel?

What a load of pants.

This is so heart-breakingly ( if that's a correct word) true. Have seen at first hand how the very vunerable elderly are treated in so-called nursing homes.....makes my blood run cold just thinking about this. Maybe, everyone over say,70/75 should start committing crimes, bad enough to be thrown in jail? Of course I don't mean murder or any sexual crimes. Bet crimmis would think more than twice before committing Crime if they were put into (again) So-called care/nursing homes.

forwarded this to grand-daughter, married to a prison officer, think he could give us another angle!

I find the number of reports, about the ill-treatment of elderly vulnerable people in care homes, quite alarming, hardly a week passes that you do not read about another incident.

Only today Devon and Cornwall Police issued a statement saying that they had charged 7 people in respect of alleged ill-treatment of 11 vulnerable adults in 3 care homes in Devon.

Very sad state of affairs, as part of the OP said - let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing homes :-(

Some of my older relies are feisty but Sfaik a weight room is not part of their daily life. One is 94 and still manages perfectly for herself at home while another is 102 and gets by with some support from his daughter. He flew for the RAF.

What a lot of older people need is more support from their families. The state provides grudging support for this with the carers allowance - means tested! - but is otherwise hostile. The old have become the victims of a large voracious and self serving Mafia where the DWP retirement homes and vendors of retired housing fights over the bones.

The best strategy is to keep fit if you can.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Facebook_like_thumb.png

It's just part of a long letter that someone ( tongue in cheek) would like to send to David Cameron, but I think this bit speaks volumes.......

Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home.

This way the pensioners would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.

They'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out.

They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance.

Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.

A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.

They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.

They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool and education.

Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request.

Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens.

Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls.

There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to.

The criminals would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room and pay £600.00 per week and have no hope of ever getting out.