What the papers said in the week ending 19 February 2022
We stand mesmerised and helpless, alongside others, at the possibility of war from the Russia/Ukraine crisis, the environment crisis and sequential storms, and the international impact of Covid-19
- Britain steps up Ukraine warnings despite assurance from Moscow | Ukraine | The Guardian
- Storm Eunice batters Britain – in pictures | UK news | The Guardian
- Storm Eunice: at least four dead as worst storm in decades roars in | UK weather | The Guardian
- Coronavirus restrictions ease across Europe despite high case rates | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Ending all Covid restrictions ‘premature and not based on evidence’, says BMA | Coronavirus | The Guardian
Rowan Williams has raised the profile of a faith initiative asking for those who have become ‘super-rich to give some of their wealth for the benefit of others: Rowan Williams calls for UK wealth tax to tackle ‘spiralling inequality’ | Tax and spending | The Guardian
People in Florence are asked to pay the fuel bills of pensioners Florence asks residents to pay utility bills of struggling pensioners | Italy | The Guardian
Older people in this country are relatively well supported, though changes to the triple lock will be hard-felt, coming at the same time as the rise in cost of fuels State pension fury as Sunak’s ‘cruel mistake’ condemning Britons to ‘miserable’ winter | Personal Finance | Finance | Express.co.uk
- But poor people are more at risk of illness arising from air pollution: ‘People are desperate’: Kent food bank and families hit hard by inflation | Cost of living crisis | The Guardian
- Poorest Londoners most at risk from toxic air, Sadiq Khan says | Air pollution | The Guardian
We have to be very uncomfortable at the findings that health care provided for Black and Minority Ethnic people is less than that for the general population and their health outcomes are poorer. This applies especially to mental health and maternity services. There is no emphasis on older people. Recommendations are for closer monitoring, recognition of barriers and the need to provide information in acceptable forms and to breed trust. NHS race review should be cue to finally tackle health inequalities | Health policy | The Guardian
- Grim diagnosis of racial inequality in healthcare | Letters | The Guardian
- RHO-Rapid-Review-Final-Report_Summary_v.4.pdf (nhsrho.org)
The possibility that innocent people could be found guilty because of blind trust in a faulty computer system – as in the scandal of prosecution and punishment of mature and trusted senior Post Office Staff – is another cause for sorrow – Surely we must ensure that it does not happen ever again. The innocent have paid a high price for the Post Office scandal. The guilty have not | Marina Hyde | The Guardian
Good news of conditions relevant to health in later life:
It is encouraging to be told that exercise, even modest, in our 70s and beyond has benefits: Twenty minutes of daily exercise may cut heart disease risk in over-70s | Health | The Guardian
Statins – widely used to reduce the incidence of atherosclerosis – seem to be less prone to unwanted effects than we fear: Less than 10% of patients intolerant to statins, study finds | Statins | The Guardian
Huntington’s chorea and other inherited conditions may be more easily identified by blood tests Simple DNA test could detect common neurological disorders, study says | Genetics | The Guardian
A very interesting piece of research reveals that the long-held view that mental processing slows progressively from the age of 20 is probably wrong – it is slower movement and caution which explain earlier conclusions. The twist in the tail is that cautious older people make fewer errors than speedy youngsters Mental speed is high until age 60 as revealed by analysis of over a million participants | Nature Human Behaviour
And further information about the hazards of some sports to health later in life: Heading football and head impacts ‘change blood patterns in brain’ | Football | The Guardian
The living past:
Memory of a sea battle is at risk as the tapestry which celebrates the story has become threadbare: UK museum in urgent appeal for funds to finish repairs on 17th-century naval tapestry | Museums | The Guardian
The dynamics of life and beliefs over 8,000 years in the area which is now Stonehenge are open for reflection: The Guardian view on Stonehenge: a dynamic monument | Editorial | The Guardian
And if you want to live to be a hundred, take note of the advice from the village in Italy with a population of less than 2,000 – but ten are centenarians. Talk to each other is their prescription for longevity. That makes sense: ‘I’ve lived through hunger and war’: tiny Italian town sets record as 10th resident turns 100 | Italy | The Guardian
David Jolley , Chair of Christians on Ageing, who has prepared this compilation in a personal capacity
