anarchism & the aged
Jul 1 2009 13:11
i work as a personal carer in a agecare facility & ive been thinking alot about the alternatives to agecare facilitys a few thing ive been thinking is this western socierty dont care about the aged in fact its very seperatist , the community as a whole could look after the aged i understand that some of the aged have no relatives but if we all got together & helped these people it could work , also ive been thinking og the aged with dementure thats a had on people cognative problem how do we deal with that in a anarchist world im just putting this to question . what i think is that if some specialised people help in that feild in a non instutionalized way maybe in houses with lovely gardens , im going to do some more research on this & will post it
Jul 10 2009 22:52
#2
MalFunction wrote:
But maybe we could have some sort of community volunteering to help, if only for 5 -10 hours a week, as part of a community responsibilty contract. (To be part of a community you'll need to undertake some community work.) (Obviously in present situation this might be seen as forcing people to work for benefits etc, I'm thinking it as part of a possible anarchist society.)
I think the point is that if we could keep the produce of our labour and control the use of our natural resources we would have time and facilities to care for every one an allow every one to participate in society to the maximum degree of their ability and desires. My family have moved and broken up over continents and does not function as a care providing system like in my mother's generation. This is common for many working class people. We need to develop new forums for social solidarity to happen to replace the fixed community and workplace.
Pete is quite right about segregation. When I was a child we had three generations round the table at meal times. Now I barely speak to anyone who is not broadly similar in age and situation. Not healthy I think.
Jul 11 2009 08:40
#3
agree that we don't want to segregate people with dementia, as in cut them off from the wider community. on the other hand they can be extremely difficult to cope with on a day-to-day basis, especially for those nearest and dearest, who find it difficult to adjust to changes brought on my spouses no longer recognising them , behaving in ways which are uncharacteristic (eg becoming violent, wandering off, endangering safety and well-being of people around them, not to mention themselves. Which is not to say they are like this all the time, it's the unpredictability as much as anything that people find so difficult to deal with.) I suggest therefore they need the constant care of a dedicated team, but with many members of the wider community, taking part in care on a part-time basis.
I'm reluctant to subscribe to vague promises and wishful thinking about these issues. we need to come up with concrete proposals that will actually deal with the issues in a way that is both effective and in line with our basic principles, and which people generally will be happy to participate in.
Jul 12 2009 06:01
#4
There's nothing wrong with aged care facilities in my opinion - the problems at the moment are due to under-staffing, underpay, a lack of support for workers and a lack of resources (as well as a lack of choice for the aged) - ie this system.
In the aged care facilities I've seen in Australia corners constantly have to be cut (and kept quiet) and the results can be horrible - eg people with broken bones left to suffer for weeks, horrible infections etc. The workers, who are under constant pressure have no time to deal with emotional issues like death and dying and instead try to promote a plastic happy atmosphere (pick a time to quickly wheel the clients around and play a bit of music). There's so much good structural social work research out there on progressive aged-care - the problem is aged care facilities don't encourage learning organisation principles and staff are overworked to the point where practice cant be improved - everything has to operate on time thus the aged have to be handled 'efficiently' (ie: emotionally detached, cold and rough)
Aged care facilities do have code of ethics which are very much in line with communitarian principles (sensitivity, empathy, dignity and worth, a holistic problem solving approach, involvement with the wider community etc) but they cant be properly implemented under this system.
Jul 12 2009 15:47
#5
Isolation is a key problem. My fathers second wife became violent and ran off in blind panics with dementia. Only one member of the family was living within reach so she had to be cared for in a residential home. If we did not have to work all round the world and had control of our economic destinies we would have been there for my dad. I resent capitalism my labour when my old dad needs it. Yes we need a care team and specialists as part of that but as this is a forum for libertarian communists I think we should use our experience to look at how we organise society. It is a key confrontation between the advocates of communism and the market: a market provides services for those who can pay and not necessarily for those who need the most- that is why the market can not provide solutions to problems of caring for the poor.
Aug 3 2009 06:10
#6
I absolutely agree in regard to isolation. It can be difficult to deal with a family member with dementia, but people do better in general when they have others around who care for them. The isolation of the elderly is a serious issue in the West, and I think it stems not just from a difficulty with an increase in caretaking, but also from a youth-obsessed culture which fears death. I think for many people, it's easier to shut someone in a home where they feel that they're being looked after, that way they don't have to think about it anymore.
In terms of implementation in an anarchist society, I would argue for communal housing. That's the way that the elderly have been cared for in the past and in other societies, children as well. Instead of concentrating the burden of care on their immediate family members, if there are several people around caretaking can be shared. This means that elderly people are not isolated and they are less vulnerable to abuse.
pete
interesting topic.
I've known cases where people have had to go into specialist care as their spouses were no longer able to care for them. very distressing - but also a welcome relief to carers.
As for the whole community caring for the aged (especially those with dementia, alzheimers, parkinsons etc) - I suspect we'll always need a core of specialist workers to provide continuity of care, and probably specialist care homes where staff have responsibilities to the residents to ensure their safety and well-being.
But maybe we could have some sort of community volunteering to help, if only for 5 -10 hours a week, as part of a community responsibilty contract. (To be part of a community you'll need to undertake some community work.) (Obviously in present situation this might be seen as forcing people to work for benefits etc, I'm thinking it as part of a possible anarchist society.)