Day 20: Advent Calendar
We wanted to dedicate Day 20 of the #JusticeforLB Advent Calendar to the ‘very old oldies’. The parents, siblings, other relatives and carers who have spent decades caring for, caring about and trying to change the system for their dudes.
This group didn’t have access to the internet and the resources that social media offers us today. They drew on different resources and campaigned and fought for change in alternative ways. Several older carers have been supporting the campaign and contributing their thoughts and experiences. So, today, we salute them and raise our Christmas glass to those who started the fires all those years ago.
We also thought we’d share the thoughts of one of them, Margot Ruth, with you:
‘I am a very old oldie. We oldies have climbed the Social Care Everest over and over again, without oxygen or Sherpas. And we had to learn and relearn the ever evolving ‘Tibetan’ of Social Care speak. As a twenty year old in the mid sixties, with a newly born ‘mongol’ I was offered the Hobson’s choice of the costly, to the state, institution. We had a choice of bin; all in timely fashion exposed, discredited and shamed….and then expediently sold for loads of cash!
We parents were the wheels of change and service improvement in the 60’s 70′ and eighties and we kept those wheels moving…while the money (and perhaps political will?) was there.. But we went to sleep for a bit, when cash benefits, community based services and the right to education were introduced for our sons and daughters. Charities that we built and fund raised have gradually changed their focus‘.
Margot says her greatest fear is ‘…repercussion on our sons and daughters, for us being such a long term pain in the LAs arse. We are on the edge of a high diving board looking down, fearing the hurt to them if we jump publicly. But jump we must if we are to do this together‘.
So, come jump with us, with Margot and the very old oldies. Together we will get #JusticeforLB and improve life for all dudes.
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