- Joined
- May 14, 2005
- Messages
- 12,862
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- Location
- A Small Town in Germany
- Website
- www.sharonmaas.co.uk
If you ever had any doubts as to the Daily Fail ethics, here is your proof. I am pretty cross.
Yesterday I was alerted to a story on their site in which it was claimed that Germany was "deporting" it's old people to Eastern European states in order to save the costs of their care. It did not offer any facts, mind you; it just said that Germany has been "accused" of doing so, and quoted a few people who were in homes in Slovakia, and a few employees of social welfare organizations who were protesting.
A few hours later, the story was in the Guardian. , again, in a wishy-washy article that said absolutely nothing. Today, it's all over Twitter, now presented as fact, that Germany is at it again!!!! Getting rid of the helpless! The heartless Germans!
In case you read it anywhere, I just wanted to say it is all complete nonsense. The German state has no say whatsoever in which home the elderly end up in, much less, does the state "deport" them. I should know; that used to be my work a few months ago, and hopefully will be again soon. It is quite clear that when an old person needs to go into a home only two people can decide that, as well as which home: the person herself, or his legal representative. For us social workers it is ALWAYS hands off. We cannot sign anything committing a person into care, much less care in a foreign country.
In fact, the opposite is the case. Germans have nursing care insurance, but the insurance companies only pay it for care homes in Germany; they don't even pay in the EU. WHen my husband had to go into a care home in the UK, because that was where we were living, the home was selected by British Social Services and they came to collect him and take him there. I had no say whatsoever, but still had to pay up. I moved him to Germany just so the insurance company would pay.
These people who go to the East Europe for cheaper care: they are most definitely people who go there voluntarily - if reluctantly - because of the costs; people who are not eligible for insurance money because they don't need the level of care to qualify for nursing home costs. Usually, it's the middle class who can't afford a care home, because the poor have it paid and rich can pay anything.
This is just one example of how a myth can spread through one inaccurate story.
But it might lead to an interesting discussion on nursing home costs, and care of the elderly.
Carry on. I had to get that off my chest. Just seeing how people are tweeting about it all over the place and saying how disgusting Germany is makes me fume.
Yesterday I was alerted to a story on their site in which it was claimed that Germany was "deporting" it's old people to Eastern European states in order to save the costs of their care. It did not offer any facts, mind you; it just said that Germany has been "accused" of doing so, and quoted a few people who were in homes in Slovakia, and a few employees of social welfare organizations who were protesting.
A few hours later, the story was in the Guardian. , again, in a wishy-washy article that said absolutely nothing. Today, it's all over Twitter, now presented as fact, that Germany is at it again!!!! Getting rid of the helpless! The heartless Germans!
In case you read it anywhere, I just wanted to say it is all complete nonsense. The German state has no say whatsoever in which home the elderly end up in, much less, does the state "deport" them. I should know; that used to be my work a few months ago, and hopefully will be again soon. It is quite clear that when an old person needs to go into a home only two people can decide that, as well as which home: the person herself, or his legal representative. For us social workers it is ALWAYS hands off. We cannot sign anything committing a person into care, much less care in a foreign country.
In fact, the opposite is the case. Germans have nursing care insurance, but the insurance companies only pay it for care homes in Germany; they don't even pay in the EU. WHen my husband had to go into a care home in the UK, because that was where we were living, the home was selected by British Social Services and they came to collect him and take him there. I had no say whatsoever, but still had to pay up. I moved him to Germany just so the insurance company would pay.
These people who go to the East Europe for cheaper care: they are most definitely people who go there voluntarily - if reluctantly - because of the costs; people who are not eligible for insurance money because they don't need the level of care to qualify for nursing home costs. Usually, it's the middle class who can't afford a care home, because the poor have it paid and rich can pay anything.
This is just one example of how a myth can spread through one inaccurate story.
But it might lead to an interesting discussion on nursing home costs, and care of the elderly.
Carry on. I had to get that off my chest. Just seeing how people are tweeting about it all over the place and saying how disgusting Germany is makes me fume.
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