Today we woke up a little early but not early enough to bother going back to sleep so we decided to make a fairly early start to the day. Meg’s carers came on time and we discussed when we might wash Meg’s hair as I have just purchased a special (plastic) bowl which is designed in such a way that people can lie flat on a bed but with their neck in a sort of channel – anyway, tomorrow we shall put it to the test with two of the more experienced (female) carers who may have utilised something like this before. It was a beautiful bright day today so we set off down the hill and I remembered today to put on my Hi_Viz vest which I am sure makes motorists slightly more liable to stop to allow us to cross the road. This morning we called in at Waitrose to pick up our newspaper and some ‘Arborio’ rice and then made our way to ‘The Lemon Tree‘ cafe. There we were absolutely delighted to meet up with our nonagenarian chorister who we normally meet in Waitrose each Tuesday and Saturday for whom this particular cafe might be a little easier for her to access. We had made an arrangement to meet at 10.30 and were only a minute or so late – Meg and I enjoyed the treat of a bacon butty which is a treat reserved for days like today. After we had had our elevenses and a pleasant chat, we each went on our various ways and Meg and I called in at the AgeUk furniture and charity shop to see what they had on offer. We did espy a wonderful blanket made up of squares knit by the crochet method. It is possible that this blanket is machine made but I have visions of a little old lady knitting the squares in a range of colours and then stitching them altogether. We already have two of these blankets and one of these we put on Meg’s downstairs bed when required and the other goes across Meg’s knees when we venture out by wheelchair. A third blanket will always be useful because these days, even blankets are liable to end up in the washing machine so to have a third on standby will always be useful. When we returned this morning, it was not long before one of the young Asian male carers turned up with a new colleague who as we found out had worked as a student nurse on a neurosurgical ward and therefore had quite a tremendous amount of relevant experience that can be transferred over.
As we now have four care visits a day, it is inevitable that we develop relationships with the carers that we see regularly and, just occasionally, can even help them with some of the vicissitudes of life. Yesterday, we were delighted when one of the young female carers who is a sixth form student received her examination results by text and I was absolutely delighted for her that she had received a Distinction in ‘Health and Social Care’ of what I think is a BTEC qualification. But she is off on holiday for a couple of weeks with her family so as she announced yesterday, we will not see her again until September. In the meanwhile, her fellow carer who is a young male carer who cares for Meg several times a week and has a wonderful manner told me that he had never tasted the Italian meal of risotto. So today, I decided to make a risotto which I used to make every single week but I have got out of the habit recently. So I needed to resurrect my memory of how to make it which is to fry off an onion until translucent, throw some arborio rice for a minute or so (which trick I leaned from a Chinese chef) and then gradually add some chicken stock. At the appropriate point, I threw in some smoked mackerel which I defrosted from the freezer, some petit pois and then the final finishing touches. These are to add a small glass of vermouth (of which I was amazed to discover I still had some remnants in our alcohol cupboard), a good dollop of yogurt and finally one or two tablespoons full of grated cheese (this last tip given to me by our Italian friend) This all turned OK and I have put some on one side for our young care worker to try. It is evidently a characteristic of the care industry but the turnover of staff seems tremendously high. In the nature of things, it always seem to be the most committed and/or senior of staff who leave to get other jobs probably with more secure pay and conditions. For example, a couple who are sisters and who have cared for Meg for months have left to work in a special school for which they are both very well qualified. So although I attempt to ensure good relationships with all of the care staff, it is a little sad when the ones with whom you have developed a relationship over the months actually leave for pastures new.
Ever since Bill Clinton campaigned on the slogan ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ it has become a truism that how well off people feel is a critical factor in how election campaigns fare and on the relative popularity/unpopularity of the government. Now there are some small in indications that the UK economy might be gradually improving as we have recently had an interest cut a quarter of a percentage point and as the growth figures for the last quarter seem somewhat more positive. As we are only a few weeks on from the general election, the Tories are claiming that it any signs of economic recovery are ‘theirs’ and this raises a more general point as to how and when a government should claim credit for changes in the economy. I suspect that most Labour figures would agree that any turn around in the economy is probably due to the actions of the previous government but, of course, one should not read too much into one set of figures as it is the trend over several months that should be the focus of our attention. Despite the rhetoric, most governments accept the changes in legislation passed by a previous government and hence we have the spectacle of a Labour government with a huge majority not overturning the cap on child benefits beyond the second child upon which I expected a huge backbench Labour opinion which did not happen. But a little historical perspective might be in order. The system of child credits took over a system of what was termed ‘Family Allowances’ in which payments were only made from the second child onwards. So parents who currently receive child credit for the first two of their three children are in the same position as parents a generation ago who had three children but Family Allowance only for the second and third child.
© Mike Hart [2024]