This is a question l would like to ask, some years ago we were told that if we adopt a lot healthy lifestyle eg eating fresh fruit watching your weight getting out more all of these things could extend your life span (so far so good) but now all l seem to hear it’s because we’ve an ageing population for the NHS being over stretched, is this some new trend to blame this on the old by the government, only l feel they need to make they mind up as to wanting the old to live longer or not just see for yourself how many times the ageing population gets a mention on the TV, it makes you feel that you should be ashamed to live so long well all l can say to the government is hard luck l am not leaving any time soon so blame something else like to many CUTS there l said it guess l will not make there Xmas card list this year live long and prosper!!!
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Gameo
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Hello Gameo, I hope that it is acceptable to give a light-hearted reply to your comments? As I was told recently, "Don't worry about old age. It doesn't last forever!" I laughed at the time!
What government wants is a healthy population, that's as fit as it can be so NHS time goes on real needs. The healthy eating is as much aimed at younger people as for example the rates of diabetes are rocketing, as are other preventable diseases. The way it's going right now it looks as if healthy older people will end up looking after unhealthy younger ones....
You make a very good point with regard to young unhealthy ones, but the main point l was trying to make is why do they keep saying the ageing population as if it is a sin to live to long and the NHS has got to many aged people in the wards that cannot go home because there is no one to look after them (again cuts)
Or because families don't now? Both my grannies were cared for at home until they died by my parents... we now live spread out so families no longer nearby and can't or won't care for the older generation.
I know families are spread out and l think your parents must have done a very good job looking after your grannies. My mother went into a council run home where she spent the last years of her life being looked after by very caring staff, but the cuts to the NHS has a knock on effect in that the local councils grant has been cut so the homes are no longer there
You are so right HH, every age group needs to look after their own health.....a gastric bye pass is not the answer at any age.
Many of my friends (65+) have Type 2 diabetes.They are overweight & complain their doctors won't " give them something" to lose weight.
Suggestions they take a walk, eat more sensibly & cut out the Prosecco except on the weekend gets the response....."It's alright for you ..RA keeps you thin".
Go figure that one!
But the answer to the question is that we do have a rapidly growing older generation now needing health care...it's not just the Govt covering up inefficiencies.
All the post WW2 babies born in the 1940's are now in their 70's/80's. Plus we now have a rapidly growing number of EEC citizens & others entitled to "free" NHS treatment...but this has not been budgeted for.
The elderly now start needing the BP pills & other geriatric medication,& as most of them have never needed the NHS during their life there is suddenly a huge rise in the number of GP Appoinments needed.
This coming with a massive shortage of doctors becoming GPs is one of the reasons we all find it difficult to get a GP appointment within 3 weeks.
Of course this should not have come as a great surprise to Govt, but no matter who has been in power no govt would increase contributions through the tax system for fear of losing votes.....even now they are putting out "feelers" asking if we would pay more taxes to support the NHS.
Maybe that should be the next Referendum? But if the last one is anything to go by, I think not!
They don’t mind you living longer and continuing to pay taxes and contribute to the economy, as long as you’re healthy and don’t need any medical care!
Slightly light-hearted but there’s a grain of truth I’m sure. It is a simple fact that the age demographic is changing and there are more older people relative to young (hopefully tax paying) people. As the older we get, for most people, the more we will need to use the services that the NHS provides for us, and the fewer people relatively there will be paying for it (I’m aware that after 40 years of income tax and NI you’ve already paid your share).
I wouldn’t take it personally, it’s a problem that needs a solution. If the younger generations are to be asked to ultimately pay more tax to pay for all of this healthcare then it’s only fair that the reasons are talked about. It’s not just an aging population though, the actual care available is becoming more technically advanced and therefore costs more to develop, test and provide. More highly skilled staff are required and it all costs money. Just compare the cost of modern RA drugs to their older counterparts and some of the costs associated with the more advanced cancer treatments are truly eye-watering.
As things like genetically targeted medicine becomes more widely available the costs are only going to go in one direction.
But if a life of healthy eating and exercise means more of us can avoid some of these conditions then that’s got to be a good thing for all of us, young and old.
Where do l start, you have made many good points l feel we have to look for different ways to remedy the problems you highlight, l agree it’s nice to stay healthy and the medicines need more money put in to help all people young and old, l feel the age limit now that people have to work some up to the age of 65 and beyond is very unjust but who is making the money because it is not working it’s way down the ladder, the post was why do you keep hearing the ageing population! but see it has gone on to a debate for which l find interesting today three women will have a womb implanted which l think is incredibly and this morning breast cancer sufferers have new hope of beating this horrible disease so long live the NHS and no more cuts please (l may put more posts in as l find the debates great just trying to think of more earth shattering ideas thanks for all of the reply’s)
I agree with you, all we hear is it is the ageing population that is causing the problems with NHS. The scientists produce drugs and new operations to keep us going much longer ( how is this our fault ) . We have worked all our lives ( I am 70 ) and put money into the NHS since I was 15 years old. I blame the lazy young people( not all but a great many ) that don't want to work and claim a lot of money, also the vast influx of people from other countries.
In reply both the above posts - I’m not sure that the ‘ageing population’ trope is used to criticise or blame as such, it’s just a fact. After all we are all the ageing population (if we’re lucky).
Maybe, to a certain extent, you have taken the view that it is meant as criticism of those who are getting older and now whenever you read or hear something that appears to you to back up this point of view it confirms your belief? We all do this, it’s called confirmation bias.
I don’t see the same criticism of older people when I read things, but then I’m not looking for it.
Personally I think all generations get their fair share, from the ‘lazy young’ ones, to the baby boomers that stole everyone else’s houses and pensions.
At the end of the day we all hope to get old one day (well, you know what I mean) and have to find ways of affording that that are fair to all of us, young, old and those in between - like me 😀
you are and we are getting old and that is a fact but it is also a number as we are often told, if what you say is true then why say it at all because it feels as if the blame is being put on the elderly, and l try to keep an open mind on matters but it still feels wrong we are not all the same and do have different opinions but the debate is good
It’s all a matter of perspective I guess. I just don’t see it as ‘blame’ per se. I also think that generalising about any group as a whole is bound to be unfair to some of that group, because we are all - as you say - different. Some of my (and your) peers run the planet while some of them are in prison therefore ‘blame’, if we must attach it to anyone, cannot be apportioned equally across that group as some are net contributors and some are net takers. If everyone put in more than they took, what would we do with the excess 🤔
It would appear we have gone from my post saying ageing population to peers running the planet it is a blessing we are different because life would be boring as to putting in more l think we put in enough l am still paying tax to this day just a thought with regard excess how about putting it into the NHS then it would solve a problem this has been good the amount of reply’s l have received may have hit a nerve in some people thanks for your feedback it has been very good
I guess the point I am trying to make is that we all see things from our own perspective but that others may see things differently. It seems that some members of the older generations may feel that they are being blamed for the problems of the world, and so do some of the younger generations and the ones in between.
But to me we are all people of the world, young, old or whatever and there is nothing to be gained from apportioning blame to any group in particular.
Instead of ‘young’ and ‘old’, which becomes divisive, we are all part of the population. And it’s a fact that that population that we are all a part of, is getting older.
I wonder why circa £26k is quoted as the minimum needed to live on when claiming Benefits.........but the State Retirement Pension is nowhere near that figure?
Are we expected to lower our living standards at pension age?
I know we should 'save for retirement' but if we paid more state pension contributions whilst earning, surely that would mean we'd have higher pensions like the rest of Western Europe....& wouldn't need to claim Benefits.....& there would be more money in the budget for the overstretched NHS.
I think now we pay about ?12% towards the State retirement pension, if that was slowly raised the sum received at retirement age would be calculated as it is now....so pay more.....get more.
I have friends in Germany & Italy who cannot believe how small the UK retirement pension is......especially if you contracted out of SERPS.
But when you are 25 you can't imagine being 70 & not having a pension generous enough to live on.....so I can't see any future Government suggesting a more generous pension as the people would not believe d it would benefit them.
To be fair the advice since I’ve been of working age (in the 80s) has always been that the state pension will not be enough by the time we retire - if it still exists at all, although leaving it up to people to sort their own pensions was always going to be a disaster at some point down the line.
It is now compulsory for all employers of full-time employees to pay into a separate pension fund (which will probably still not be enough for most people, but there you go).
I guess the expectation is also that by the time we draw our pensions we will have paid off our mortgages, the kids will have grown up and started earning their own money (ha!), and we will be too sick to have a social life - so won’t need as much as a young family.
Hi. As an ex NHS manager, demographics of the population living longer has been discussed in healthcare for at least 20 years (probably more). NHS moves at a snails pace and the aim is health prevention rather than acute care. There's definitely no blame intended.
I think as we age we concentrate more on the age bit. Similarly, when I ordered my BMW recently, all I saw on the road were white BMWs. Our mind tricks us!
I remember the ageing population being a ‘thing’ when my mum worked in the NHS, and she retired in the early 90s. Seem to remember ‘care in the community’ being mentioned a lot too, but that’s a different thread...
That is a very good point when you say it has been discussed for 20 years, how come we are hearing more about now did people not live long before, as for the BMW just enjoy and drive to your hearts content the other drivers are only jealous, well done by the way for doing 20 years in your NHS job best of luck with the car
Hasn’t life expectancy dropped since the Tories, I mean since the financial crash (and subsequent dismantling of the NHS, benefits system, social care provision etc) of 2008?
Maybe that’s the real plan, we all die younger and save the country money...
And no, life spans have increased considerably post war, particularly from the 1960s with the onset of decent food, meds etc...plus less people smoking and breathing in toxic air.
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