What the papers said in the week ending 14 May 2022
Within the grim news of everyday there are uplifting accounts of what older people can do:
- Jo Schoonbroodt has been breaking records for completing the most marathons in under 3 hours for someone in their 70s: Age no barrier: how Jo Schoonbroodt smashed the 70+ marathon record | Marathon | The Guardian
- Igor Pedin (61) and his dog Zhu-Zhu walked 140 miles to be away from the dangers of Mariupol. Seeking to be invisible, they actually attracted admiration and friendly acts from Russian soldiers. The invisible Ukrainian who walked 225km to safety from Mariupol | Ukraine | The Guardian
- For others the war in Ukraine has mobilised memories of previous conflicts: ‘I am filled with hate’: Kharkiv battle evokes memories of second world war | Ukraine | The Guardian
On the home front there is much which is troubling and shaming:
- Some people are having to ration what they eat so severely that it will affect their health: More than 2m adults in UK cannot afford to eat every day, survey finds | Food poverty | The Guardian
- Yet an MP declares that Foodbanks, including one where he volunteers, are not necessary: Tory MP says no massive need for food banks in UK and real problem is people’s cooking skills – as it happened | Politics | The Guardian
- ‘An insult to the whole community’: Sutton-in-Ashfield people react to MP’s food bank comments | Food banks | The Guardian
- Last week we learned of Elsie, a pensioner who rides on buses to keep warm. This week there is mention of others who spend their days in a local library: ‘I come to the library to keep warm’: Norfolk residents battling fuel poverty | Fuel poverty | The Guardian
- Rent rises are particularly difficult for older people: Older UK renters forced to cut back on spending as living costs soar | Renting property | The Guardian
- Lack of NHS dental services has driven some to take treatment into their own hands: Dentist shortage in south-west England leaves patients doing DIY treatments | Dentists | The Guardian
- Prisoners with mental health problems, including older prisoners, are often not receiving appropriate assessment of treatment: Hundreds of mentally ill prisoners denied urgent treatment in England | Mental health | The Guardian
- There is frustration about Mental Health Services in general: Reforms to mental health services are long overdue | Letters | The Guardian
- No help, no care, no support – and now no bank | Letters | The Guardian
- Even the ethics of care organisations are questioned: Hundreds of organisations breached patient data rules, reveals BMJ | Health | The Guardian
The Government’s plans as represented in The Queen’s Speech, read by Prince Charles, outlined what might be done to improve matters: The Queen’s speech 2022: what was in it and what it means | Queen’s speech | The Guardian
Are there any causes for hope?
Programmes about social issues, including the lives of older people won prizes: TV Baftas 2022: Time wins best miniseries as social issues take spotlight | Baftas | The Guardian
Science supports the phenomenon of love: I’m a man of facts and science, but I know this – what dogs feel is not just attachment, it’s love | Jules Howard | The Guardian
There is passion in the priesthood: Ukrainian priests pursue unholy row in burned-out Borodyanka | Ukraine | The Guardian
There is enthusiasm for lifelong learning: Funding for lifelong learning shouldn’t lead to deeper debt | Letters | The Guardian
Humour has its way in confronting difficult issues: ‘People laugh but think twice’: Belgian cartoonist takes on plastic pollution | Belgium | The Guardian
Sexist or ageist: a tribunal ruling says we should not draw attention to baldness: Calling a man ‘bald’ is sexual harassment, employment tribunal rules | Sexual harassment | The Guardian
Most letters arrive on time: One in five first-class letters and parcels fails to arrive next working day | Royal Mail | The Guardian
Moon dust can sustain life of a sort: Cress seeds grown in moon dust raise hopes for lunar crops | Science | The Guardian
BUT:
The lingering symptoms of Covid-19 say that the pandemic leaves scars: Half of Covid-hospitalised still symptomatic two years on, study finds | Coronavirus | The Guardian
And the shadow of further deterioration in climate is threatened by the ambition of some fuel companies: Revealed: the ‘carbon bombs’ set to trigger catastrophic climate breakdown | Fossil fuels | The Guardian
How wonderful to know that the Passion Play at Oberammergau is being enacted this year, a return to the tradition of ten-yearly performances which dates back to 1633 when 84 villagers died from Plague – Survivors pledged to God that they would confirm their faith and gratitude by enacting the Passion in this way: The centuries-old Oberammergau Passion Play is back | Culture | Arts, music and lifestyle reporting from Germany | DW | 13.05.2022
David Jolley Chair of Christians on Ageing, in a personal capacity
