NationStates Jolt Archive


Jofflet's carer's proposal: the text

Jofflet
25-01-2004, 19:28
Hail and thanks for reading this, the vote expires today

Fair Play for Carers
A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare.


Category: Social Justice Strength: Significant Proposed by: Jofflet
Description: A carer is someone defined as looking after a friend, neighbour or family member for a minimum of 35 hours per week. Currently a carer gets paid an allowance of £43.15 per week for these duties. This works out at £1.23 per hour.
This allowance is stopped at age 65, regardless if you still have caring duties to carry out, such as a spouse or disabled adult child at home.

Carers save the nation some £34 billion by caring for people in their own communities. If a nation is judged on how they look after the weak and sick, they are treating carers unjustly. Other nations in the UN have much worse systems for carers, some have good codes of practice that all UN member countries should inspect and adopt.

We propose at least paying a national minimum legal wage for carers, with a pension built in. Many carers have to give up careers and jobs to fulfil their duties and should not be penalised in their pensionable years.

We propose proper scheduled breaks for carers that request them, with appropriate support delivered to the cared-for person in the carers absence. This should be flexible to accomodate emergency situations as they arise.

We propose recognition for the carers role. For instance as a family carer of a 10 year old disabled child, I have had to learn the following skills to care for him: Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, administer multiple medications daily, co-ordinate all paperwork and administration connected with his medical, social and educational needs, change and clean contact lenses, apply orhtotic aids nightly, change nappies, feed, dress and bathe, administer first aid for seizure control, etc etc, and have I nothing on paper to show these skills. Other carers do much, much more than this daily, relentlessly, unthanked.

Most people are blessed with good health and welfare rights: every day, carers carry a load which should be shared by the whole community.

Please give thanks for your good health and for the carers who look after those who need support. Play fair with us.

The nomadic peoples of Jofflet

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