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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 24 September 2021
Opinion
You wouldn’t wish it on your granny... AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON
NO matter how welcome the Housing For All plan, I don’t believe that I am the only person to be alienated by the cavalier way Government view older people as a group to be conveniently pushed around to solve their problems. Is anyone in the corridors of power listening to what older people actually want? It’s easy to excuse the Government and civil servants for being overworked and preoccupied with the pressures of Covid, Brexit and whatever other crisis happens to hit them. But when the evidence is presented to them on a plate in fact-finding surveys, sometimes they still adopt the headless chicken approach and ignore the information which would help them make appropriate decisions. Take the suggestion in the Housing For All that older people should move from their family homes in order to help solve the housing crisis. Preferably they should move into apartments, according to Housing Minister Darragh
O Brien, encouraged by his offer of a mere half a percent reduction in stamp duty as an incentive. This completely ignores several surveys which show clearly that over 55s, (hardly half way through life when you consider that half the people born today are going to live to be 100 ) don’t want to move. A survey by TCD and DIT published this month showed that 88% of over 55s say don’t want to move for understandable reasons. They are attached to the area where they live, they like being near shops, their families and they enjoy the peace and quiet of their gardens. Does this suggest would they would enjoy being in apartments? It’s not the kind of thing that you would wish on your granny or granddad, to be made to feel that they should be pushed out the home where they raised their family in familiar surroundings and moved into anonymous flatland, to help the State solve the housing crisis. If the powers-that-be did their homework they might notice that in an earlier survey carried out in 2019 only 4% — yes 4% — of mature home owners with two or more vacant bedrooms were prepared to move home. If there were smaller purpose
built, less expensive houses, (houses not apartments) suitable for older people, the percentage prepared to move went up to 15 to 20%. This shows up clearly the glaring gap in the housing market for elders where there is a lack of options between care homes and ageing in place in existing homes. The kind of solutions like retirement villages (though these are not for everyone,)
or purpose-built housing in the community available elsewhere in the world barely exist here. There are plenty of solutions, too, which would enable owners to age in place with the assistance of grants. A previous paper on Housing for Older People lists a variety of ways in which this could be achieved from dividing homes into apartments to making them age friendly and states:” Research sug-
gests that older people wish to remain in place… and lead full and meaningful lives in their own terms.” The Minister also has his eye on the homes lying vacant because their elderly owners are in nursing home care and has proposed that the Fair Deal scheme should be amended to push these homes onto the rental or for sale market. Previously 80% of rental
from such homes had to be contributed towards the Fair Deal scheme to cover nursing homes costs. Will it work? The assumption here is that granny or granddad and family will be happy to have strangers move into the home, possibly emptied of family furniture or to sell it off while the owner is still alive. Would you wish that one on granny?
Boost your mental health by reviewing your social media use ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST
OVER the past weeks and months that I’ve been writing this column, I’ve provided bits and pieces of advice for dealing with anxiety, depression and mental wellness. Something which is rarely mentioned is the damage social media can have on how you feel mentally. Don’t get me wrong, the internet is a fantastic tool. There is so much that is good about it that you could fill several tombs, nevermind a few column inches, discussing the benefits of being online. Everything in life has two sides though and the web definitely has some very negative aspects. Let’s say you’re one of the lucky ones who has never experienced the toxicity of trolling and keyboard warriors. Even so, the chances are social media, as well as a positive, also has a negative influence on your life. Why do I say this? Open
up your Facebook or other social media account. Scroll down through your friends’ and family’s content. What do you see? Probably a whole lot of people enjoying their “perfect lives”. Now take a look at your own experience of the last days, weeks and months. Is your life A1? Do you have any worries? Anything causing you to feel down, stressed or gloomy? Certainly. How do I know this? Simple. There isn’t a single person on this planet whose life is nothing but endless joy (the good news is there are also exceptionally few of us who have nothing to be happy and grateful for either). Now look back at your friends’ and family’s Facebook feed. Do you see the negative that rational logic tells you they must have in their own lives? Probably not. What you are seeing by following what they’re up to via Facebook is a shrouded window. All the positivity is there. The parties, the meals out, the holidays. What is hidden behind the shroud are the things causing them distress. People are very slow to share these, particu-
larly online. The problem is you unconsciously compare yourself with those carefully-constructed representations of other people’s lives you’re viewing online. This leaves you questioning “why is my life not perfect when everybody else’s is?” In short, because you’re being very tough on yourself by putting your own life in comparison with a perfection which only exists in fantasyland. That’s like watching Superman and giving yourself a hard time because you can’t fly. It isn’t real. I’m not saying you should never use Facebook or other social media. It can be a great way of keeping in touch with people, particularly friends and relatives who live in other countries. Be careful not to overuse it though and keep in mind that what you are seeing online is very much a false representation of lives which, despite their online window, are very far from perfect. Next week, we’ll look at what to do with trolls and keyboard warriors and how to stop them destroying your wellness.
