Human Capacity

Not the maximum amount that something can contain, or produce.

I mean mental capacity, the ability to use and understand information to make a decision, and communicate decisions made. We lack capacity if our mind is impaired or disturbed in some way, which means we are unable to make decisions at that time. 

I joke about my increasingly poor memory, saying that it's because I have 78 years of data in my brain, which means there isn't much storage space left. The data is all there somewhere, but retrieval is the problem. My brain is literally it's own "cloud". 

There is also physical capacity, the ability to improve your health, well-being and physical performance, which acts as either an accelerant or drag on that performance. When your physical capacity is strong, you have more endurance and resilience. This too is an increasing problem. Bodies wear out. Simple tasks like getting dressed, turning over in bed, cooking a meal, doing housework, walking, become more difficult.

I am fortunate that I do still have capacity to live my life. It isn't as easy as it was. Certainly not as easy as it was when my husband was alive & there were two of us to share the burdens of modern life. Our skill sets were different & complimented each other. We shared the day to day tasks. We shared conversations and were able to discuss events. Marriage at it's best is a symbiotic relationship.

Loss of human capacity is an increasing problem both for the individual & society with an ageing population - (In 2021 17.66 % of the population in the U K fell into the 0 -14 year category, 63.42 % into the 15 - 64 age group and 18.92 % were over 65 years of age). Especially as we are coming out of a pandemic which has been devastating to mental & physical health. The prevalence of chronic illness, not just due to Covid is a NHS problem. About 15 million people in England have a long-term condition. Long-term conditions or chronic diseases are conditions for which there is currently no cure, and which are managed with drugs and other treatment.

It's a worrying picture. Successive governments have promised to tackle the problem of social care, then kicked it into the long grass or put it in the "too difficult" box. That results in human suffering for both the individuals with capacity loss & their families who are forced to care for them, if they are lucky enough to have families who will do that!

This is an issue that needs political will to sort it out. We should not tolerate forcing children & old people to take on the burden of care. We should all make clear that we are prepared to pay more in tax to provide decent care for the people who need it. Those of us who are lucky enough to be financially secure have to accept that the State can't pay for everything. We must pay our share. Those who are very wealthy should contribute more for those who are poor.

It isn't rocket science. It's what we should expect from a wealthy, "developed" nation.