top of page
Search
There was weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth in Britain today over the loss of some islands in the Indian Ocean, the name of which nobody can quite remember.
'The Naxos Islands, wasn’t it? No hang on, that’s the cheap classical CDs.'
'I think it was Paxos. Or is that the stuffing?'
'No, that’s a real island, but it’s in the Aegean. This one’s somewhere near Mauritius, apparently.'
'I think they said Chavos on the radio.'
'Chavos? I thought that was a nickname for Ayia Napa...'
Anyway, whatever the name, all were agreed that the loss of these islands was a mortal blow to Britain, and it would never be a glad confident morning again.
'This is nearly as bad as when we lost Hong Kong. Still, it’s reassuring to know it went to a good home, where its rights and freedoms are being respected.'
The conflict over ownership of the islands was dramatised in the famous Mauritian film 'Bring me the deeds to Diego Garcia'.
Image: Newsbiscuit Archive
As the care sector in the UK continues to struggle with funding issues and staff payment and retention, across the Atlantic care for the elderly is taken extremely seriously if the example we viewed is anything to go by.
The 'White House' in Washington D.C. is a residential home with facilities that many places in the UK can only dream of. As our guide, Mary Koplinski, explained, 'We believe our residents deserve the best as they approach their twilight years.'
The best includes a swimming pool, movie theatre, solarium, music room, chocolate shop, games room and bowling alley. Also impressive is the ratio of staff to residents. Mary told us, 'We currently have one 81-year-old gentleman, who is a little unsteady on his feet and with a tendency to get very confused. However, looking after him is a staff of over 500, attending to his every need. Occasionally he takes little trips out, but we pick him up and help him back to his room. Otherwise he mostly sleeps a lot.'
Unlike UK care home costs of upwards of £1,000 per week per resident, the White House costs are all fully funded. However, every resident does need a bankroll of several million dollars to pay for the application and selection process.
Mary was quite excited about possibly seeing a return visitor in January next year. 'Another elderly gent who was last here about four years ago. Then it was respite care, mainly for his family's benefit, to give them a break. Some of the elderly can be very demanding and at times irrational. This time he will require extra supervision as he's become more paranoid and delusional, but that's fine. We just ensure he doesn't touch anything inappropriate, such as shiny red buttons, or female interns.'
bottom of page