What the papers said in the week ending 23 July 2022
Environmental matters have been to the fore for people of all ages – very old, very young and all who have vulnerabilities are at risk as Europe and the UK are hotter than ever before: ‘Meltdown Monday’ and ‘Blowtorch Britain’: what the papers say about UK heatwave | National newspapers | The Guardian
- Wildfires are another consequence: Forest fires rage across Europe as heatwave sends temperatures soaring | Wildfires | The Guardian
- UK reaches hottest ever temperature as 40.2C recorded at Heathrow | UK weather | The Guardian
The cost of living crisis is biting hard and needing even more efforts from charities to support the poor: ‘There’s nothing else to give them’: Liverpool food banks confront rising hunger | Food banks | The Guardian
Finances all round are worrying: UK inflation hits fresh 40-year high of 9.4% and ‘could hit 12% in October’ | Inflation | The Guardian
These matters seem incidental to the ambitions of those seeking to become Prime Minister. The notion that equality is ethically and economically desirable is anathema to most: ‘It’s socialism’: heated Tory leadership debate exposes deep divisions | Conservative leadership | The Guardian
In our day to day lives – another step toward freedom is to be made by allowing marriages to be conducted in a wider range of venues: Your sand in marriage: plans to relax wedding rules in England and Wales | UK news | The Guardian
- Joan Bakewell reflects on the use of time and the advantages which come with age: What happened when I stopped hurrying – and discovered the joy of slowing down? | Joan Bakewell | The Guardian
Following months of headlines we now have a determination to do more to promote health and deal more effectively with illness which develops amongst women of all ages New women’s health strategy for England aims to end decades of inequality | Women’s health | The Guardian
And for menopausal women immediate response to vaginal discomfort can now be purchesed across the counter without the need for a doctor’s prescription: Hormone replacement therapy to be offered over the counter in UK | Menopause | The Guardian
The consequences of the covid lockdowns are illustrated by a study of prisoners – Many were locked up with no diversion and no exercises designed for rehabilitation for weeks and months. Anxiety and depression became common – though prisoners aged over 60 appear to have been more resilient than younger men. UK prisoners ‘traumatised’ by Covid solitary confinement, study says | Prisons and probation | The Guardian
- Home – User Voice
- User-Voice-QUB-Coping-with-Covid.pdf (uservoice.org) over 60s were less anxious and less depressed than all younger age-bands (page 97).
- There is concern that the regime which was deemed necessary and appropriate for infection control is being perpetuated for convenience – with dangerous implications for prison safety and prisoner long-term mental health.
- There is no doubt that mental health is fragile amongst prisoners and that its management finds the authorities stretched beyond competence Two-thirds of remand prisoners who took own lives were on care plans, FoI reveals | UK news | The Guardian
The issues around the death of 71 year old Dyann Mansfield, who was killed by her husband Graham, are complicated. The court found him not guilty of murder: Man, 73, who cut wife’s throat in suicide pact cleared of murder | Greater Manchester | The Guardian
The war between Russia and Ukraine is the backcloth to these happenings: Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 149 of the invasion | Ukraine | The Guardian
Previously war-torn Afghanistan could find salvation in hemp: From battlefields to CBD: can hemp pioneer wean Afghanistan off opium? | Afghanistan | The Guardian
David Jolley Chair of Christians on Ageing, in a personal capacity.
