Equality & Human Rights Commission Report

A report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), due this week, will put flesh on the bones of recent published statistics. It has heard evidence of real neglect in planned care provision, largely to people who don't complain. The EHRC says that of those who responded to its call for evidence, one in five said "they would not complain because they didn't know how to, or for fear of repercussions". So far, we've heard a lot about the effects of the economic crisis on the young, and on women. But there's been far too little focus on the effects on our senior citizens. Savings are worth less, annuity payments are cut, prices are up, and social care is withdrawn – yet without the chance to earn any more, those in retirement just have to accept declining living standards. And, as more people live longer, the problem is going to get worse. 
This slow-motion disaster, demography insists, cannot be avoided without a major shift in resources.
(See full article in The Guardian today)