Caring for Carers

It's been a fairly full few days: the anticipated increase in funerals has happened. Between us we have 12 in the space of 10 days. They are not all apparently Cv related, in the sense that this was given as the cause of death. However, one of our local undertakers surmised that some elderly, frail people may have simply lost the will to live, in the current crisis. Or, as he put it, 'Cv has tipped them over the edge.' Not impossible. I'll write another time about funerals, and the changes of practice caused by the Cv lock-down.

Another thing that has preoccupied me over the weekend is a submission to our bishops concerning 'The Church in Cumbria after Lock-down'. Our diocesan leaders are spending some time considering the implications for church life of this crisis - some of it actually quite positive e.g. better use of technology; some of it less so, notably a significant drop in income, exacerbating some already challenging financial concerns.

While I was a student, I spent one long vacation as an 'auxiliary nurse' at a geriatric hospital. It was an education! Since then, of course, I have visited countless homes for the elderly, either to see individuals or to conduct some kind of worship service. Both my parents spent their final years in care homes, and currently my aunt is a resident at a care home in London. A friend and colleague here is manager of such an establishment locally. I am also aware that I am becoming 'elderly' myself, and the time may not be too far off when I might need such care. So, at least at second-hand, I have some knowledge of and an interest in residential care.

The Cv crisis is proving to be something of a litmus test of different aspects of our society. In many ways, we are recognising our strengths: the selfless dedication of NHS staff, and the very many acts of kindness and neighbourliness, for example. But we are also seeing where the gaps are. It is no surprise to find that residential care is one of these. For years, successive governments have failed to address the issue of care for the elderly. Cuts in local government budgets have made the situation worse, and it has been left to the private sector, by and large, to try to meet the needs. Care home staff are poorly paid in comparison with other workers, revealing how as a society we fail to recognise the importance of the job they do. The same is true of those who care for the elderly in the community.

It is probably inevitable that we will all face tax rises when the crisis is over. Is it too much to expect that a proportion of that increase will go towards care for the elderly? And will we all be prepared to pay for this? After all, it is a fact that the age profile of our country is getting older. The need is urgent.