Vulnerables on the bus

The other day I caught the bus to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) for my annual meeting with the Parkinson’s Disease consultant. The 35 bus stops outside my front door and outside the entrance to the ARI. Being over 65 I have my free bus pass. The trip one wintry way in a warm bus takes just over two hours. Neat.

The passengers on the bus were mainly Old Age Pensioners like myself and a variety of younger folk who were on physical and mental disability concessions. So – not many passengers paying the full fare. But the Scottish government looks after its more vulnerable citizens.

Two questions popped into my attention centre - What types of vulnerability are recognized, and how many people are vulnerable?

Off the top of my head I imagine that the vulnerable include those who are too young or too old to look after themselves, those who are physically or mentally disabled, and those who are affected by various types of natural disasters.

I invented that typology. Social Scientists have a more nuanced system that includes groups and institutions. (eg

“It is important to note at the outset that ‘vulnerability’ is an imposed category that some ‘vulnerable’ groups would challenge. While this needs to be acknowledged, vulnerability is generally held to refer to those individuals or groups who, due to age, ill-health, infirmity, minority status or their otherwise disempowered position in society may be open to exploitation (whether physical, emotional or psychological). http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/researchethics/4-1-intro.html

So how many people are vulnerable? It depends on how the term is defined and on the reliability of the methods used to collect data. I could set criteria and make guestimates but why bother? Let there be anecdotes.

As a young lad in the village I knew Feel Dave who was officially the Church Hall keeper but it was his Dad who did the work. As a student I had a summer job in the secure ward of the local mental hospital; several of the ab-normal patients burned their take on humanity indelibly into my brain – they set new parameters for what it meant to be normal. Nowadays the hospital has been converted to an up market housing estate and those who would have been patients are now subject to care in the community. Some of them were on the bus the other day.

The state provides. Once hospital accommodation then care in the community – notably not care by the community. How many are looked after in the family home? Vulnerability.

And there is care for the elderly. What goes first body or mind? How long can they stay in their own home. When is the right time to move to a nursing home – or to live with the kids who are now sixty something and have empty nests?

Many of my African colleagues had been to the UK as students. Most of them were appalled to see how we shunted our seniors into old folk’s homes – the lack of respect. Vulnerability.

I am grateful for having been born of sound mind and body and for having received a quality education to university level in Zoology.

I am grateful for having committed to zero population growth while a student and thus having the freedom to live and work in six different countries where I experienced several different ways to be human.

I am grateful for the bus pass, the 35 bus and the exposure to vulnerable people.

I am grateful that my Parkinson’s is advancing very slowly so there is no need to increase the medication. And my next visit to the consultant is scheduled for 18 months rather than 12.

Lest we forget – “The poor will be with us always”