The dawning of a Convention: a turning point for the rights of older persons
As regular readers of this blog will know there are very few occasions when I get the opportunity to be celebratory or even positive these days given the state of […]
Reforming the NHS in Scotland? Not without social care you won’t.
It’s been a funny old week of oscillating emotions from a day in which I spent talking about how social care has the potential to be the economic driver of […]
Can Ai enhance the humanness of care? The place of ethics and the unfolding of dignity.
This past week I spent a couple of days in Oxford with colleagues from around the UK exploring the responsible and ethical use of Ai in social care. It was […]
Finding happiness at all ages: a reflection on happiness and social care.
The other day I happened to be in conversation with an individual late in years – in fact in his nineties – who opined the view that “Happiness is for […]
The kitchen table: the critical role of nutrition and hydration at the heart of social care.
One thing we seem to do very well in Scotland is to produce well written legislation and policy intervention perhaps with the recent exception of the National Care Service Bill! […]
Celebrating care: a reflection for International Women’s Day.
Today is International Women’s Day and the theme for this annual day in 2025 is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” It’s a theme which calls for action […]
Hearing the unheard: supporting older people with hearing loss in Scotland’s care sector.
World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. […]
A betrayal of dignity: the failure across the UK political leadership to prioritise social care.
Tuesday next (the 25th) sees the Scottish Parliament debate and vote on the Scottish Government’s Budget. It is something of a fait accompli with the votes of the Scottish Liberal […]
Social care is social justice.
Next Thursday is the United Nation’s annual World Social Justice Day 2025. A quick look at official calendars shows that there will be lots of events around the country and […]
Too good to be true? Digital access and safety for older Scots.
It will be the annual Safer Internet Day on Tuesday next, the 11th of February, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and […]
What does it mean to care at home? A reflection.
There has been a great deal of talk this past week about how important it is that we support and care for individuals as close to their home as possible, […]
Blog – The Great ‘Doughnut Fallacy’ of social care in Scotland
The Great ‘Doughnut Fallacy’ of social care in Scotland Minister for Social Care Marie Todd last week announced changes to the proposed National Care Service (NCS) Bill. The most significant […]
Time to tell the story of social care
One of the joys of living in Ayrshire is the continual presence of the poetry of Robert Burns. I have to confess that I have not always loved the works […]
Weight of the Nation: Obesity and its impact on older Scots and social care.
The media this past week has been filed with stories around obesity, from debate about the impact and costs of new drugs such as Wegovy on a dedicated BBC Panorama […]
Let’s stop talking about the NHS: social care needs to be prioritised.
I have just spent the last couple of days in London and have held various conversations with colleagues in the social care world in England. It has been a busy […]
Caring for the self within social care: a January reflection.
Well, that’s another year started and with the predictability of a well-worn tradition we are getting the adverts for our summer holidays appearing in all our usual media alongside those […]
A Year of Social Care Jubilee for Scotland.
The time between Christmas and New Year has always been a bit of a strange one. In the past I travelled a lot to see family and friends and got […]
A season of grounded hope in social care: some reflections.
As the festive season descends upon us and just a few days out from the big day itself, our surroundings are full of twinkling lights, sounds of carols or bygone […]
Ai and human rights: the urgency of ethical action.
Last Tuesday, the 10th of December was the annual international Human Rights Day. It’s a day which gives the global community an opportunity to focus on the importance of protecting […]