Author Archives: john graham

“Southern Dis-Comfort”

Posted on March 4, 2012 by john graham

It was only a few weeks ago that I was writing what I hoped might be the final chapter in the story of the plight of Southern Cross’s 130,000 elderly residents (click on “Southern Cross” in the TAG CLOUD).    Goodness … Continue reading →

Posted in Nursing Homes | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Easy Money”

Posted on March 2, 2012 by john graham

It is a rare sunny day in winter, so I woke up with a happy disposition.  It could have been dashed quite quickly – as soon as I opened the newspaper to find that for the first time ever Britain … Continue reading →

Posted in ELDERLY MARKET, SMILES | Tagged | 3 Comments

“The Princethorpe Court Story”

Posted on February 28, 2012 by john graham

Thirty years ago I was lucky enough to be in at the beginning of a remarkable project, which helped start a change in how housing and care for older people was perceived in the UK.  It’s physical expression was a … Continue reading →

Posted in RETIREMENT HOUSING | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Legal Eagles or Vultures”

Posted on February 26, 2012 by john graham

Only a few weeks ago I was blogging about the increasing incidence of pressure sores in the NHS and how it is leading to more legal action.   (click on the ARCHIVE dated 12 February 2012 – “UNTOLD PRESSURE” ). Now … Continue reading →

Posted in N.H.S. | 3 Comments

“Never Been 21 or 65”

Posted on February 21, 2012 by john graham

When I was young, the big age to become was 21.  It was an anchor point  in life, a bridge between childhood and adulthood.  21st birthdays were when you became a “grown up”.  Time for a big celebration —– a … Continue reading →

Posted in SMILES | 3 Comments

Tommy Graham’s Blogtoons on Fruit Juice

Posted on February 19, 2012 by john graham

Since the GrumbleSmiles blog was started, we have been illustrating some of the posts with cartoons.  This post is the start of building a gallery of all the blogtoons. I’ve written a series of posts on the virtues of fruit … Continue reading →

Posted in ABOUT GRUMBLESMILES | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Living in the Past”

Posted on February 16, 2012 by john graham

A rather curious idea is being proposed in Switzerland in response to the increasing number of people with dementia.  A developer is planning to build a retro village in 1950’s style architecture and then staff it with carers disguised as gardeners, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dementia | 1 Comment

“Untold Pressure”

Posted on February 12, 2012 by john graham

An excellent article by Kate Wighton in The Daily Mail on 31st January 2012, highlighted the incidence of pressure sores in the NHS. Without any sense of irony, it was included in the section of the paper under the banner … Continue reading →

Tagged | 1 Comment

“Confused Conclusion”

Posted on February 9, 2012 by john graham

A recent study of elderly people admitted to hospital found that those affected with dementia were suffering because hospital staff have no idea how to treat them.  The study went on to suggest that hospitals should assume that all older … Continue reading →

Posted in Dementia, HEALTH | 2 Comments

“Uneconomic Prediction”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by john graham

I don’t venture into discussing economics in this blog because it’s not a subject I pretend to understand.  In these heady days of the credit crunch aftermath, the potential melt-down of the European Union and ever-present threat of an ongoing … Continue reading →

Posted in ELDERLY UK POLICY | Tagged | 4 Comments