Selfless yet betrayed by an NHS which would sink without them
By HELEN CLARK
18th February 2009
His account - and his admission that he had kept the illness secret for several years to spare his wife the 'betrayal and discourtesy' of publicly disclosing it - held a special potency for me.
I felt hugely grateful to him for speaking out, and thereby giving voice to legions of silent sufferers and their carers.
I understand the anguish that dementia brings to those who live with it - and their families. Plus, I know that nationwide there is a stoic, ill-supported brigade of unpaid carers - partners, children, grandchildren - whose devotion is saving our Government millions of pounds each year. Without these carers, the NHS would go under.
And throughout those agonising years I, a former Labour MP, watched this Government prevaricate, postulate and pennypinch, while denying to those who need it the care they deserve. Last week, Health Secretary Alan Johnson compounded the problem by unveiling a document which trumpeted its intention to install a 'dementia adviser' overseeing a network of 'memory clinics'.
What use is this to carers and sufferers? We do not need to be fobbed off with such patronising and insulting initiatives. We need money to fund research, help and remuneration for those selfless souls who daily sacrifice their own lives to look after their loved ones.
Unless those of us who have close experience of this wicked disease speak out, the Government will continue to ignore its duty. And the nation's silent army of carers will continue to be exploited. I'm fed up with platitudes and empty initiatives. I believe the Government and the NHS betrayed my mother and my mother-in-law.
On behalf of these two wonderful women, I now beg the Government to give fair recompense to those who care for relatives at home. It is a thankless, heartbreaking task, and it demands true recognition and proper financial remuneration.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Daily Mail, UK
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A touching article. Please go to source for full-text. I believe that the same sort of thing is occurring around the world. Unless the rest of us keep speaking out for the voiceless, the issues will be "swept under the carpet".
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