Bitter-sweet success
Today sees me at the Regional Finals of the Great British Care Awards in not one but two categories, “Care Innovator” for my dementia assistance range and “Putting People First”
This is slightly bitter-sweet as when I went for my interview many of the Judges hadn’t bothered to turn up and many people had been kept waiting for hours. I wrote a blog post immediately afterwards which turned into a rant about how it summed up the demise of the social care sector.
I initially decided to boycott the awards due to the fact one, it’s very expensive evening with tickets for myself and my husband costing £288 for the Gala evening. How many carers earning a low wage can afford that? How many of the struggling agency bosses can afford to comfortably pay for their staff if a team are nominated for an award.
I “ummed and ahhhed” and then at literally the eleventh hour, decided through gritted teeth to go mainly because I couldn’t cancel the hotel booking and the train tickets were bought. The event partners seemed useful too moving forwards.
I am going with my bloggers/reporters head on. Only yesterday, I was at the “Future of Ageing” conference in London with some of the smartest, most passionate influencers in the care sector. If they are concerned for the future so should we be. If an event that is designed to celebrate the best in care is merely a money making venture then isn’t it time we really valued our care providers who do offer amazing help to the elderly and allow them to be recognised and congratulated – not at their personal expense ?
I will ask the opinion of other finalists, as I often do and feedback to you here.
The funniest link to the two events is that one of the Trustees of the International Centre for Longevity, who hosted the conference, urged the end of the ageist “loveiness” when an elderly person appears on the X Factor TV show. Credit them for their talent, not still being alive!. The tickets for the Great British Care Awards are X Factor ones and I had to have my photo taken for the event between a life-size cardboard Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne !
Both flimsy and a tad ridiculous.
