TIP: Age related
Along with a growing section of the population, (2.5 million according to Carers UK). I find myself sandwiched between the needs of two generations. As people increasingly move away from the communities where they grew up and their parents live for longer, it leaves the older generation socially isolated and more dependent on the care provided by the State. While the ‘kidsof’ generation are left feeling strained, guilt ridden and anxious - all precursors to long term health conditions. A viscous circle of health needs is being created. In a shocking statistic provided by Age Concern, nearly half of all older people consider television as their main form of company and over 1 million older people in the UK always or often feel lonely. Isolated older people are less healthy, physically and mentally, take up more health professional resources and are more likely to be admitted to hospital. With the population of over 75 year olds set to double in the next 30 years, the scale of problem is huge. Stress related illnesses experienced by the sandwich generation increasingly impact on the workplace, families and an already stretched National Health Service. In the decades ahead the challenge facing the health system is enormous, unless we can find alternative ways of supporting the older generation and relieving the pressures on the sandwich generation. The creeping problem felt by lone individuals of both generations, isolated in their needs, is no longer just a personal burden but is gradually turning into an epidemic, one of the biggest facing government today. I believe it is will be one of the largest factors which will determine the future shape of society, its total impact on the economy of the country yet to be measured. Jane Dawson, Associate Health Launchpad |
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Beetling up the M1 on a glorious Friday afternoon leaving London behind and heading for the beautiful Yorkshire Moors should lift anyone’s heart. I was leaving behind a family in the throes of exams, so one might have expected a sense of freedom. However, the journey was to visit my ageing parents - a father of almost ninety with deteriorating eyesight and hearing and a step mother with a long term health condition- the journey was simply a long commute to another set of responsibilities.