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Post Pandemic Britain – ECONOMY
Economy
The Corona virus pandemic has had a substantial impact on the UK economy, costing hundreds of British people their jobs and forcing several sectors to come to a complete standstill. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR)1 estimated the outbreak could result in over two million job losses and cause the economy to shrink by 35%.
Many businesses have had to close with hundreds of thousands unable to work. While the UK government has produced unprecedented loan and pay schemes to keep companies in business and workers on the payroll, it is unavoidable that numerous people will become unemployed and many businesses may never open again.
A feature of the last decade has been the rise of self-employment, including gig economy workers. About 15% of workers now work for themselves, most of them operating alone. Many earn little and lack access to the traditional safety net, including sick pay and the national minimum wage. The self-employed have suffered more than the employees in terms of real income losses2.
The lockdown is having the biggest impact on the young, low-paid and female workers, according to a recent research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies3.
Many low-income households will struggle to make ends meet. Citizens Advice – a charity which provides guidance on jobs, welfare and debt management, had over two million website views in a week. The most viewed page being “Advice on what to do if you can’t pay your bills?”. 
After the lockdown is lifted, some businesses may snap back to how they used to operate before, but with changing habits it will create a demand for new products and services. For example, many may continue to work from home, whilst the delivery of goods and services online may see a sustained increase4.
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has introduced schemes in which the state will pay 80% of the salary of the workers who would otherwise be laid off by their employers, up to £2,500 per month5.
It’s a difficult conundrum which not only the UK government but the rest of the world will try to address over the coming months and years.
READ MY NEXT BLOG – POST PANDEMIC BRITAIN – Effect of Pandemic on Mental & Physical Health
References
- https://obr.uk
- Bloomberg – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-06/how-low-u-k-unemployment-masked-holes-exposed-by-virus-pandemic
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-05/u-k-lockdown-hits-young-low-paid-and-women-most-study-finds
- https://www.techuk.org/insights/opinions/item/17224-covid-19-what-does-it-mean-for-the-economy
- https://www.ft.com/content/973dc0c0-6ae4-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3
2050 – Dementia in India
12 million people with Dementia by 2050 in India A report published in The Hindu quotes a three-fold rise in people suffering from dementia in India. It will present an overwhelming financial and human burden to health and care systems.
I wonder where are the Care systems, who educates and takes interest in the Carers?
Dementia – Awareness in India
Dementia in India We need to educate ourselves about the terms Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease if we are to look after our loved one’s who will grow old and one day develop signs and symptoms of dementia. It’s sad to read that almost a quarter of Indians surveyed by the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) considered that those suffering from dementia to be “dangerous ” and about three fourths felt that those with dementia are “impulsive and unpredictable”.
Dementia – Risk reduction of cognitive decline
The WHO has released new guidelines for risk reduction of cognitive decline in dementia.
Dementia is a rapidly growing public health problem with around 50 million people suffering from the condition. Approximately 60% of these people are living in low and middle income countries.
While age is the strongest known risk factor for cognitive decline, dementia is not a natural or inevitable consequence of ageing. Several recent studies have shown a relationship between the development of cognitive impairment and dementia with lifestyle- related risk factors, such as
- physical inactivity,
- tobacco use,
- unhealthy diets and
- harmful use of alcohol.
Certain medical conditions are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, including hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesityand depression. Other potentially modifiable risk factors include social isolation and cognitive inactivity.The existence of potentially modifiable risk factors means that prevention of dementia is possible through a public health approach, including the implementation of key interventions that delay or slow cognitive decline or dementia.
It is worth a read and acting on these recommendations and prevent a rapid decline due to this tragic condition.
Cigarette butts and plant growth
It’s usual to see cigarette butts strewn on the roads on daily walks!! People either throw it out of the car or crush it on their walks. But the impact it has on plant growth is enormous.
A study carried out by Anglia Ruskin University found that the presence of cigarette butts in the soil reduced the germination success and shoot length of clover by 27%.
Most cigarette butts contain a filter made of cellulose acetate fibre which causes damage the plants, even without the additional toxins released from the burning of the tobacco.
An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year making them the planet’s worst plastic pollution!!
Let’s do something about it.
Dementia in India (1)
I am touched by the passion with which Swapnil Kishore writes about the plight of Dementia care In India.
A quote from her post is quite poignant – “Awareness is so poor that there is no way to tap the bulk of actual, hands-on caregivers. Besides, caregivers come in various stripes; the ones who most need help are not visible, not tapped, not participating in most dialogues. Patients who need the most help are the ones locked up in houses because of social stigma, or who remain undiagnosed or are labelled as crazy and shunned. So where are their voices, their concerns, their perspectives on what they need most and fastest? Where can we find persons diagnosed early enough to have insight into their dementia who may share their realities so that we can know what “friendliness” means to someone who actually has dementia? Don’t their opinions matter?”
She also observes “But we have a severe shortage of people and resources in the dementia domain. We don’t have the foundation for advanced and ambitious projects like a “dementia-friendly community.”
We need to help in setting up viable education tools to help carers of dementia sufferers in small steps. It is a long way off from achieving the status of western models of care but overstep matters.
We are on the way towards making that first step!
#dementiaindia,#dementiacarers,#dementiaeducation
Childhood obesity
According to the government data the proportion of overweight and obese children in reception year remains at 22.4% (136,586 children) and for year 6 children, it is 34.3% (197,888 children).
Physical activity and childhood obesity: There is a large amount of evidence which suggests that regular activity is related to reduced incidence of many chronic conditions.
Healthier eating habits will encourage a child to loose weight along with regular exercise.
Involving a child in walking the dog, walking or cycling to school and using stairs instead of the lift increases the aerobic activity.
Encouraging a child to join classes which they enjoy such as dancing, swimming or football will make a child active.
Limiting the time in front of the TV or smart phones and tablets allows a child to get enough sleep.
#childhood obesity,#walking,#cyclingtoschool,#walkingtoschool
Bakul Kumar 