Britain has one paid carer for every 100 pensioners…
Britain has one carer for every 100 pensioners… among the worst in the world
Last updated at 11:13 PM on 1st July 2011
Britain has just one carer per 100 pensioners – a smaller proportion than anywhere else in the developed world, figures show.
According to an international survey, Ireland has three times as many carers per 100 pensioners. The U.S. has five times as many and Sweden has 12 times as many.
The figures, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents industrialised nations, help explain the poor quality of care in many of our residential homes, as well as the appalling standards of home-help services, which last month were described as an affront to the human rights of the elderly.
Rare: The number of carers working in Britain has halved since the 1990s
‘Stunning inequities’ in end-of-life care, report says
1 July 2011 Last updated at 01:16
An independent review is calling for a set of universal standards for care of the dying after uncovering “stunning inequities” in provision in England.
The inquiry, requested last year by the government, says the current system is confusing and inconsistent.
Inside the terrifying world of dementia
Inside the terrifying world of dementia
The lady at the chiller cabinet moved away from me with a tut of disgust as I shuffled past a display of drinks and almost sent them flying.
The space where she had been standing was a swirling blur and the edges of shelves moved towards me menacingly as I battled to buy a shopping list of six everyday items.
Every step was laced with danger. Babbling noises raged in my head, dislocating my senses, and a friendly corner shop became a hostile environment as I was immersed in an experiment to sample life with dementia.
Only 10 minutes into the task I was confused, vulnerable and isolated, some of the emotions almost one million sufferers and their families encounter every day.
