Germany exports it’s old and sick

Germany exports it’s old and sick

“Inhumane” is the term being used to describe Germany’s new practice of exporting ailing seniors.

Growing numbers of elderly and sick Germans are being sent overseas for long-term care in retirement and rehabilitation centres because of rising costs and falling standards in Germany, reports todays issue of The Guardian.imgres

“The move, which has seen thousands of retired Germans rehoused in homes in eastern Europe and Asia, has been severely criticised by social welfare organisations who have called it ‘inhumane deportation. But with increasing numbers of Germans unable to afford the growing costs of retirement homes, and an ageing and shrinking population, the number expected to be sent abroad in the next few years is only likely to rise. Experts describe it as a ‘time bomb.’ Continue reading “Germany exports it’s old and sick”

A Grimm legacy considered

Grimm's Fairy Tale illustartion for Fitcher's Bird“Once upon a time, two German brothers began collecting the best fairytales of their age,” reads a story in The Guardian today about  the enduring legacy of a certain set of children’s stories. “They gathered an array of stories involving princes and princesses, forests, castles and magic, but also darker sagas of cannibalism, dismemberment, murder and evil stepmothers.

“The 200th anniversary on Thursday of the first publication of the Grimm brothers’ Die Kinder und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales), a collection of 86 stories that became worldwide classics, is triggering a year of feverish celebrations in Germany to mark the birth of one of the most frequently read books in the world. Continue reading “A Grimm legacy considered”