The Other Gold Medallists

Much has been made recently of the achievements of the British team in the Beijing olympics. People have rightly been thrilled by the performance of the team and by the haul of medals that they have amassed. Many are now looking forward to the 2012 olympics with increased anticipation in the hope that the medals total can be equalled or surpassed. There are calls also for the medallists to be feted and honoured.

While all this is laudable and a cause for celebration it should encourage us to consider others who contribute to society day in, day out and whose efforts often go unrecognised. Whilst giving credit to our sporting heroes and heroines perhaps we should give thought to many others who perform their duties up to, and beyond the call of duty. I have in mind, on this occasion an almost invisible army that shoulder responsibility for some of the most vunerable in society. I have in mind the army of carers.

Over the past three decades, increasing life expectancy and changes in social policy have meant that many who would have previously been cared for in hospital or in specialist units are now cared for in the community. Whether it be those with learning difficulties, the elderly and infirm or those with psychiatric problems, the trend has been to attempt, wherever possible, to care for such people in their home environment or, where this is not possible in care homes.. In order to achieve this we have seen the recruitment of an army of care workers mostly women. The recruitment of this army largely relies on exploiting the traditional role of women as caregivers.

Day in and day out, care workers deal with physical and emotional problems that most of us would rather avoid for wages that often amount to a pittance. In some cases they have to pay for their own training and often for the criminal records checks that are now necessary. Ironically, in an age of womens emancipation it is often the work of women carers that enables middle class women to advance their careers. Carers are often in the same position in regard to the conditions under which they work that would have been recognisable to those who worked 'in service' over one hundred years ago. They do nit often because they care deeply for their clients added to the often desperate need to keep a roof over the heads of themselves and their families. With the decline of other forms of work with the structures of pay and conditions that would have been recognisable to an earlier generation that is all they can do.

And who can tell what strains such work, often performed over grossly irregular hours puts on health both physical and emotional and on family and relationships. Those involved in such work often go about their work without complaint even when under the utmost stress and strain. Perhaps the full cost of such labour, in emotional, physical and economic terms can never be fully quantified.

In Silverton, as elsewhere these women usually go about their labours half unseen and rarely given much consideration in terms of the work they do. They routinely deal with the sick, the disturbed and the dying with few outsde those that they actually deal with taking much notice of what they achieve in terms of making the lot of their clients more bearable. So, perhaps while we celebrate the achievements of our medallists in terms of the medals that they won over that fortnight in Beijing, we should also celebrate the work of those who by their labour go for gold every day..