It's not easy growing old these days... families are often fragmented and unable to offer support to elderly relatives, especially if everyone who could offer support is struggling to hold down a full time job and pay the bills.

If they do give up their job in order to care for a relative, the present level of Carer's Allowance is £50 per week - no matter how many relatives you may be caring for! So if you care for elderly parents, you are, in effect, being paid £25 per week for each parent - for 24 hour care, seven days a week. Think of it - there are 168 hours in every week, meaning that even if you care full time for one person, you are paid less than 30p per hour!

If carers were paid the minimum wage for just half the hours in the week, they should be getting over £500 per week! Makes you think, doesn't it? The shameful truth is that if the carers in this country said 'Sod it' tomorrow, the system would crash. This country simply couldn't exist without taking carers for granted.

The media often feature stories of how poorly the elderly are treated in so-called 'care homes' (a misnomer if ever there was one!) and even in hospital. We might want to live longer, but I don't think anyone relishes growing old and frail.

Even pensioners who manage to remain reasonably independent and live in their own homes often struggle to pay bills, particularly the ever rising cost of heating their homes to a decent level. These are people who have usually worked hard, brought up families and now face real poverty.

Now compare their plight with those of prisoners. This article is taken from : http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/05/04/prisoner-s-shocking-revelation-on-life-behind-bars-91466-20858942/

I'll reprint the salient parts here:

Prisoner’s shocking revelation on life behind bars
May 4 2008 by Our Correspondent, Wales On Sunday

Last week, Wales on Sunday revealed how pampered inmates in Cardiff prison can use hi-tech games consoles in their cells and will soon be treated to a brand new £10m medical centre. Now we can reveal more shocking details about life behind bars, contained in a letter from Donal Kelleher – caged for repeatedly stabbing his wife

I AM currently serving a recall sentence where the probation service think they are punishing me but in fact I would rather be in here because of the fantastic conditions.

Foreign national prisoners are offered £3,000 on release to return to their home country but refuse this but rather stop in prison because they have never had it so good.

On the weekend we watch all the latest DVDs in our cells. On D wing, the enhanced wing, there is a full size snooker table as well as pool and table tennis. We can order most things we need from Argos, eg trainers, stereo systems, curtains and quilt covers.

On C wing, the detox wing, they provide methadone and Valium for heroin addicts and hot chocolate at night and they have single cells. Sex offenders have a large fish tank full of tropical fish and they don’t have to work they are well protected from the rest of the prisoners.

The food provided is tested by the governor to make sure it is cooked well and tasty.

You can have plants or flowers as well as fans to keep cool in the cells.

Some prisoners become gym orderlies, this is a very good job where they spend most of the day in the gym where they train themselves and help others. They are paid for doing this.

There are many ways to earn money inside with a wide range of jobs. Listeners who gets (sic) trained by the Samaritans have widescreen TVs, a nice stereo and has a luxury armchair in his cell (sic).

These listeners very rarely get called upon because everybody is so happy in here. This is a much sought-after position.

You can even learn to become a bricklayer or painter and decorator and you get paid at the same time, but many prisoners don’t want this because they have no intention of every working because they prefer to lie on their beds all day watching TV.

This prison is Category B, I have also been to Parc Prison in Bridgend which is Category C. The conditions there are even better. That place is like a health farm.

Many prisoners are on a waiting list to get there and ultimately to Presscoed (sic) or Layhill where they have golf courses and this is considered the dream destination.

These prisons are open category D jails where they are allowed to work, earning £1,100 a month, which they save for their release day.

Sometimes you hear on the news of prisoners escaping from these prisoners (sic) but this is very rare and often by first time prisoners who don’t know the score.

I am so happy here, I’m dreading the day they come to my cell with my release papers.

No wonder the prisons are at an all-time high because most people have a better standard of living in here.

I can’t understand people who are homeless when they could have the life of reily (sic) just by getting into trouble and then staying at her Majesty’s pleasure.

Some prisoners who get 18 day early release don’t really want it and many go out, spend the £180 they are given and then return within the week. Others who are offered tagging turn this option down because they are happy where they are.

Prison is a joke, it certainly isn’t a punishment or a deterrent.

Yours,

DC Kelleher

Makes you think, doesn't it?