Meals on Wheels
The pensioners of the West Side of Lewis are, and here I generalise, from a generation who grew their own potatoes, kept their own sheep and caught their own fish.The food they grew up with was fresh, local and delicious, and prepared daily with great care.
Is it any surprise that half the "customers" have dropped out from the scheme if the produce is reheated frozen meals shipped in from the mainland, dropped in by carers in a rush (through no fault of their own) and followed by a mass-produced cold sandwich for their evening meal.
Would you be happy with that?
Social care comes at a price, and is not a bottomless money pit, but some things need more consideration before being enforced onto those who need care and attention in every aspect of their lives. I hope that the Council will abandon the scheme, and start thinking about the options all over again.
3 comments:
Highland Council recently rejected a combined bid from local producers to supply fresh local produce in favour of mass produced factory rubish. The extra cost would have been 7p on each school meal, I suppose this would add up over a year but surely this rcycling of money within the local economy would have provided health, social and economic benefits which would have far outweighed the extra cost, never mind the saving in food miles.
Every political party spouts forth on fresh local produce yet when the crunch comes the saving of a few pennies always wins through
Angus, The Hot-Food service is a big success with mainland councils both English & Scottish.
It is saving tax payers a fortune.
Half the customers have not dropped out of the service, some are on holiday others are in hospital even more have family home on holiday who are providing their meals.
The meals are not dropped in they are put on a plate and served to the person either at the table or on a tray although most are perfectly fit enough and happy to attend to themselves.
In the past carers were being paid £80. per week to make a slice of toast at lunch time,that was all some of the people required.
One person was being fed from the same pot of soup for four days.
Another carer was giving tinned meat, Tinned veg and Smash powdered potato to her customers and being paid handsomely for doing so.
Be aware that the old home care set up was a gravy train for some.
anonomous - IF that is the case surely the answer is to provide better carers and not replace a bad service with a worse one!
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