Time to Talk: the power of listening.
In two days’ time on the 24 July, it is Samaritans Awareness Day. The very nature and heart of the Samaritans is the fact that they are there to listen […]
Summer-time blues: seasonal affected disorder.
In one of those calendar quirks today the 15th July happens to be St Swithin’s Day and also the first Saturday of the Glasgow Fair. St Swithin’s Day as many […]
The Scottish Government: do they care about care?
The past few days has been full of events, from the 75th anniversary of the start of the NHS, to the celebrations around the King receiving the Honours of Scotland, […]
A cost not worth paying: a reflection for Alcohol Awareness Week
This coming week is Alcohol Awareness Week which is an annual event run under the auspices of Alcohol Change UK. It is an event designed to change our relationship to […]
The weaving of the human: the importance of spiritual care for all.
There are times when in the midst of all the flurry of publications, reports and essays something appears and often falls under the radar because there is so much happening […]
Four seasons in one day: a reflection on ageing and climate.
There is something of a delicious Scottish irony that after weeks of continual sunshine and at the end of a week in which an official heatwave was recorded for many […]
Hollowed out: the loneliness of grief.
There are so many lonely people who spend their time in the company of absence; whose only conversation is with emptiness. I’ve met many of them. Monday sees the start […]
Is the human race or our humanity at risk? AI and social care.
Dire warnings about the end of the world are normally the stuff of placard bearing street preachers prophesying Old Testament style global ending but in the last week mainstream media […]
It’s not just a building: the grief behind care home closures.
I’ve spent more than my usual time this past week in TV studios, speaking to journalists and doing interviews. The reason has been a media statement published by Scottish Care […]
Keeping care at home: time to invest in preventative social care and support.
Yesterday was the Scottish Care, Care at Home and Housing Support conference which was held in Glasgow with the theme ‘Keeping Care at Home’. It was followed by an evening […]
The essence of nursing : a reflection
This blog formed part of a speech delivered at Erskine Home, Renfrewshire to celebrate the International Day of the Nurse 2023. As many of you might know from some of […]
Time to make history: days to remember.
Today is a day when history will be made. That’s probably the understatement of the hour because you would be hard pressed to have avoided awareness of the fact that […]
Losing confidence? Social care shall rise.
This past week I had the pleasure of spending some time with social care colleagues from the rest of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Five Nations Care Forum is […]
What price dignity? The state of social care in Scotland today.
This week’s blog is partly based on a talk given at the Care Roadshow, Hampden Park on Tuesday 18th April. Dignity has always been an important concept and word for […]
The arts and ageing: an invitation to connection, inspiration and reflection.
The following blog is the text of an address given on the 28th March 2023 at the Luminate ‘Arts and Ageing’ Gathering at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. When […]
A spring of potential: social care lies dormant.
Yesterday along with what felt like the whole of the west of Scotland I went to Culzean Castle in Ayrshire. On a gloriously bright sunny even if not hot day […]
Turning hope into reality: social care’s aspiration.
When I was growing up, I was often accused of being a dreamer – of spending too much time imagining a world of possibility that never seemed to come true. […]
Creating a care and compassion economy
Within three days we will know who the new First Minister of Scotland will be and I am sure we will all be pleased for a degree of settled reality […]
Mothering absence: a reflection
This coming Sunday is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate the role of mothers and women at this time of year which is not exactly […]