Captain Tom Day to help loneliness in the elderly

Thank you 24Avalon yes i am isolated but was speaking from
the experience of living in a Cul de sac for the elderly and
disabled.

A lovely lady age 96 recently had a stroke, no family here, yes she had an alarm pendant but like many of us here with no family near and living alone, the police are called and they decide if medical help is needed , that is isolation.

Have to admit I, too, agree with Alegrias1

Fair enough, I did ask if it was directed at me, given I had been most vocal on this thread and the comment came out of nowhere.

But my comment still stands.

Just because I don't agree with the Captain Tom Day, for all the reasons I gave, that doesn't mean I don't think there is a problem to be solved.

I think it's a lovely idea as the treatment of many elderly people in the UK is appalling!
The fact that so many have to decide between heating their home and buying food should not be happening in this day and age.
Some may be falsely saving money to leave to family when they have gone may well not help and I would love to know where the idea of leaving a financial legacy making you a better person came from, when your children are often earning much more than you ever have!
A reminder once a year that there is a whole chunk of the population that have a lot of wisdom and knowledge that should rather be listened to than ignored, gets my vote!

Rather than having several charities competing against each other would it not be better if this family raised funds for existing ones focused on the needs of elderly people.
I think there are several already trying to alleviate loneliness, make it easier for elderly people to stay in their own homes or to provide satisfactory alternatives to nursing homes where necessary.

I agree with Alegrias. There are already plenty of voluntary organisations that support older people in the areas proposed and ways in which older voices can be heard.

I am also in the Alegrias1 camp on this one.

Alegrias1

OK. Hard hat on.

I think this idolises older people, if you know what I mean. Having a special day for the elderly, when we should be considering continual things to support them (us?). I also don't believe in charities doing the government's job for them.

Also, I'm not keen on Captain Tom's family, I think they are self publicists.

Sorry

I kind of agree.
I have no idea about Captain Tom's family, I don't take that much interest.
I don't like to see the old people in society "sectioned off" in this way....I have seen it while working in the community for the NHS...old people's clubs, old people's services and so on...limiting what people can and can't get or deciding what they should want based on the year they were born.

When I was younger I used to visit elderly single people in the village, do shopping for them etc. Now I am old and alone, housebound I see no one apart from my daily help.

25Avalon

Alegrias I think that’s a little harsh on Anniebach. She said ‘perhaps’ and admits to isolation and feelings of invisibility. She deserves kindness and compassion as does anyone suffering from isolation. That is what Captain Tom Day is intended to be about.

Yes, it was unkind.

Some on here do know what others have gone through and do go through on a daily basis.

Beswitched Thu 09-Dec-21 11:21:13
I agree to a certain extent but sometimes there are gaps in the help offered in some areas and I know that charities do try not to overlap. If they can collaborate, as they are doing with Esther Rantzen, then it can only be a good thing and raise more awareness too.

Bijou

When I was younger I used to visit elderly single people in the village, do shopping for them etc. Now I am old and alone, housebound I see no one apart from my daily help.

Bijou is there a befriending service in your area? I know that some churches run them (and don't try to push religion on you!). There is a lovely woman here who runs such a group.

A friend of mine also helps to put on afternoon teas for elderly people in her village - some of these old people are younger than her!

Bijou

If you are housebound you can’t leave your home so cannot
go to church, library, coffee shop, meetings etc.

My only contact with people is on this forum so I do understand how you feel and what each day is like.

Another problem because of the virus is charities who visit the
housebound can no longer visit.

Have you contacted Age U.K. ?

^Another problem because of the virus is charities who visit the
housebound can no longer visit^
It's a pity they can't do that and take all precautions.

I don't see the point of it. I also wonder at what age will it "kick in"? I suppose I'm old now but I don't feel it and I'm still interacting with lots of people. I don't want to be a charity case and I'm never certain about the aims or methods some charities use. Not to mention some of the condescending people I have seen "working" for charities which deal with the elderly. My mother in her 90s attended an Age UK thing for a bit and called the women who ran it "condescending" and some thiings which aren't repeatable. She only went a couple of times.
I don't want a day I want a proper health and care system which looks after the most vulnerable properly.

No-one wants to be a charity case trisher but not everyone has family nearby and not everyone can get out of their house.

I don't want a day I want a proper health and care system which looks after the most vulnerable properly.
And in the meantime .........
They can sit at home and watch the flying pigs through the window.

Anniebach I pmd you as I didn't want to post the information on here. It's there if you wanted or not

Actually the term charity case is old-fashioned and not constructive.

How many people have been helped by Hospice care and not thought of themselves as charity cases?

There are so many fundamental problems that need sorting. Lack of proper resources for health and care services, the breakdown of strong and generous willed communities, the pressure on young and middle aged people to work long hours with gruelling commutes leaving little time for community engagement or even regular visits to elderly family members.
We have become quite individualised societies as a result.

Individualist I should have said.

Or even individualistic

My mother offered the choice of an afternoon run by two women who called her "dear" wanted her to buy raffle tickets for prizes she didn't wnat and to charge her for a cup of tea while she sat and did a quiz she found ridiculous or was chatted to as if half-witted much preferred sitting in her own flat and watching for flying pigs (and so would I). We don't all lose our critical faculties because we are older.

I saw the interview with his daughter. I think it is a brilliant idea. I think a lot of good will come from it.

I don't think this help will be compulsory, trisher!

What will this new charity do that existing charities don’t? Does anyone know?

Calistemon

I don't think this help will be compulsory, trisher!

It's not the fact that it is compulsory it's the idea that at 90+ you somehow cease to be someone who can join any organisation and become someone who has to have special provision. Ageing isn't something that happens to everyone in the same way, and age does not mean you become a different person. What is needed are organisations and services that recognise that older people may need certain adaptations but their contribution can be valuable. Just as disabled people are beginning to be fully accepted and involved older people should have the same provision. It's not about a day it's about a change in attitude.

Exactly, trisher!

I think the day is intended as an annual prompt for a fundraiser to raise money to provide services all year round for those who may need them.

Rather like Children in Need Day, Red Nose Day, World's Biggest Coffee Morning, Moonwalk, Memory Walk etc.