lindal1000

You are right to pick me up on using the term dirty 'old' man as it is ageist, but the behaviour is equally repugnant whatever the age or the endowments of the person dishing it out. I used to cycle in London in the 90s and the two most annoying cases of harassment were from the man in the Porche, who drove alongside me whilst making all sorts on propositions. When I completely ignored him he shouted out' but I have a Porche'. (He then proceeded to stall it at the next traffic lights and as I cycled up besides him I could help but reply..'oh FFS, you can't even drive the thing'). The second incident involved a group of women, whose harassment was every bit as unpleasant as that of a group of men. I just don't think that kind of behaviour is in anyway flattering, designed only to make the recipient feel uncomfortable.

I think there are quite a few issues here. Re sexual harassment, as someone who was working in the 80s and 90s who like most women, was subject to cat calls inappropriate groping and men who seemed unable to talk to anything other than my chest, I'm delighted to think that the next generation of young women will not have to put up with it because it is now considered inappropriate. Some employers have been enforcing policies on this for some time now (ie senior staff not allowed to have personal relationships with another employee, one of my friends met his wife at work and one of them had to change jobs before the relationship could be public). However, I don't really agree with demonising people for grungy behaviour at a time when being a dirty old man was acceptable. That said, if the behaviour was more than that and whatever happened was illegal at the time it took place, then I have no sympathy. Humour is a bit different and much more down to individual tastes, and comedians have been upsetting people for years. Tastes change and if no one finds it funny anymore then the comedian won't get an audience. Benny Hill springs to mind, as someone who a lot of people laughed at in his day, but nowadays I doubt there would be many that find his kind of humour that funny. So, humour is much more a reflection of current attitudes and behaviours than answerable to them. Of course what is actually shown on TV is different because it is subject to the usual rules on decency and appropriateness etc.but that was always the case. Jim Davidson's live shows were always far more 'blue' than those shown on TV. My personal hate is Comedians who ridicule people simply on the basis of them being old. David Walliams and Matt Lucas were bad for that with some of their characters.

According to our French farming neighbours the shortage is due to the government and the EU, and according to France3 it's because the retailers can make more profit by selling French butter to the growing markets in China. Unfortunately for local farmers they are still not able to get enough money for their milk to enable them to stay in business so there is a shortage of French milk for French butter. I got some yesterday for my Christmas cake. I only use it for baking as prefer margarine.

I don't know if there are any private insurance schemes for long term care. In France if the person doesn't have the money to pay for the nursing home their children are liable for the cost. I do remember when I went to a meeting at my bank they tried to sell me some sort of policy that sounded like that, on the grounds that we have no children..I said they could sell the house to pay the bill. One of the standard insurance companies such as AXA could probably give you an idea of what they are and what they cover. Homecare for basic care (not nursing) is about 25 euros an hour in rural France. The French healthcare system is essentially a private system that is heavily state regulated. So, a consultation with a GP is 25 euros, In the big cities Doctors can charge more but it will be nothing like you are used to paying in the USA. That said, nursing home care can be expensive.

Indeed..it isn't a 'cadeau'. In many cases private health insurance may cost less. Chancer, I think the 5 years in specifically for non EU citizens, although I agree that bit is confusing.

I think with PUMA anyone who is normally resident can apply to join. It isn't free...and if you are a non EU citizen you have to have a decent income. You then pay 8% of your income for healthcare. From expat website: However, under PUMA, all the legal permanent residents are entitled to public health insurance, as long as they have lived in France for three consecutive months on a regular and stable basis. This reform has made the eligibility requirements for foreign students, workers and pensioners much easier. Moreover, they will now have the automatic and continuous right to unlimited healthcare access, regardless of their previous medical history, age and contribution towards French social security (cotisations sociales). This applies even to people who have lost their means of employment. Anyone who was covered by the old CMU system will no longer have to put in an annual renewal application, thereby reducing administrative efforts. Another advantage of PUMA is that it equalizes the rights of EU and non-EU citizens applying for their health insurance card (carte vitale). In the past, the locals and non-EU nationals enjoyed this right while those from the EU had to wait for a period of 5 years before they were eligible for state health insurance; this law was severely criticized as it undermined free movement of EU nationals within the Union. The good thing is that that the CMU-Complementaire (CMU-C) program will also be in place, to provide free health insurance for the unemployed or people from low income groups. Like the name suggests, it will act as a supplement to PUMA. The reforms in the policies are most likely to affect those foreign residents who weren’t covered by their employers. PUMA for foreigners Any outsider can apply for access to state health insurance under the new program, as long as they meet certain criteria. Expats who have been residing in France for more than 3 consecutive months are eligible if they: - Have lived in the country for under 5 years - Don’t have paid employment - Aren’t receiving pension from a European nation Non-EU students below the age of 28 and British early retirees are also eligible to apply for this scheme, as long as they aren’t drawing a salary. If the application is approved, the government decides whether the applicant has to contribute towards the Unions de Recouvrement des Cotisations de Sécurité Sociale et d'Allocations Familiales (URSSAF). If the application gets rejected, private health insurance is the only other option.

And with regard to French Nationality, I also have to prove that I have integrated professionally. This requires me to understand the remits of my of my profession and how it is practised in France.

I’m not refusing to accept anything Norman. I think we are possibly talking at cross purposes. I understand that the routine collection of data relating to sexuality or ethnicity, especially when that is then used to compile statistics is not legal. However, in specific instances it is not forbidden to ask such information. In many cases it would be poor care not ask it and indeed in your case Chancer I believe it was negligent of the hospital not to ensure that you had care in place to enable you to follow the medical advice on your discharge. Our 90-year-old neighbour was not allowed home until care was sorted out for her and they would have had to found out something about her environment and home situation to do that (she has no children). Just because no one asked you doesn’t mean that they can’t. In case anyone is interested then this is what is included in an OT assessment, whether it is legal or not. It also includes what in included in the evaluations from other healthcare professions and social workers (who communicate with each other). https://www.has-sante.fr/portail/upload/docs/application/pdf/ergoth_rap.pdf As I’m sure none of you will want to read the whole lot, here’s a quote from the section on daily activies. Habitudes antérieures de vie : C’est une description concise des habitudes de vie de la personne avant son hospitalisation ou son problème, dans les différents domaines de sa vie. Les habitudes de vie correspondent à des activités significatives pour le patient, qui sont sources de motivation (4,50,53). Ce recueil de données d’ordre général se fait par entretiens et questionnaires. La famille est également source d’informations sur les plans relationnel et technique. Domaines explorés : – domaine des soins personnels : toilette, habillage, repas, hygiène, sommeil… ; – déplacements : intérieurs et extérieurs, modes de déplacement ; – communication : modes utilisés – étude des rôles familiaux : activités domestiques, scolaires, de gestion, activités personnelles et interpersonnelles : couple, enfants, famille ; – étude des rôles sociaux : activités scolaires et professionnelles (tâches, poste de travail, responsabilités, rythme), activités de loisir et de culture, activités sociales (bénévolat) ; – environnement social : habitat, services, ressources

I think it's different if people are concerned about your ability to manage at home. Last week I did some practice interviews with students, in English, and I asked them to use the interview that they had done the week before in their class and translate it. This is what they asked me. What is your name? How old are you? Are you married? Do you have any children? Where do you live? Describe a typical day? Do you work? What are your hobbies? I'm not saying every one attending hospital would get this kind of interrogation but everyone who was referred to occupational therapy would. I'm sure when I went to Bordeaux and registered at the outpatient department the receptionist asked me if I was married and ticked something on a form.

Norman I do work in France now and I do know that health care professionals will routinely ask about family and relationships. At the very least how do you think they know who to contact when you kick the bucket.

From what I remember there were a number of check boxes and the final one was 'prefer not to say'.. So in that sense you are recording refusal to answer in a sense. I was thinking about it, and I actually remember my GP in the UK, when I first registered with him 15 years ago, asked me some very direct questions abut my sexuality. Just to prove it wasn't at all for PC purposes, here is a rough indication of the conversation.. " So are you single then..do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" Me: "No, I live on my own and am single and have been for some time. Doctor: 'why's that then..I mean you seem quite normal and intelligent' Me 'I guess I've never found anyone I was that interested in and I quite enjoy being on my own" Doctor " Ahh I see, you're a bit fussy then, nothing wrong with that I suppose. My wife wishes she'd been more fussy..... laugh !!

It's certainly not illegal to ask it as part of an assessment. I can send you copies of the assessment forms that are currently used. Collecting information for statistical purposes is completely different..which I think was maybe what the initial BBC article was talking about in the UK, although it was not particularly clear.Do you honestly think you can plan an intervention with someone when you don't know anything about their life? Just to give you an example... someone has a stroke, needs help with wiping their bottom, lives with another person. You need to know the nature of that relationship to know whether this would be a task that the person they live with would be prepared to carry out and whether it would be acceptable to them both to have that happen. There are ways of getting that information without making it sound like the Spanish inquisition and certainly that information is not shared on a database but I don't know how you could intervene without having some idea of those things.. Information on ethnicity has been routinely collected in the NHS and stored electronically for years. I guess maybe they are just thinking of adding sexual orientation to that. When I worked at University of Brighton they routinely collected that info on their staff as part of their equality monitoring. It wasn't obligatory to supply that information.

It's a whole lot more than that and sexuality is just a part of it..but in order to work with someone as a therapist you have to build up a therapeutic relationship with them, and they have to trust you. If you are oblivious to what is an important part of their life then that becomes more difficult. There are no rules with regard to gender of those providing nursing care and those receiving it, except to say that the way in which it is provided needs to be sensitive to that person's wishes and beliefs. The more you know the more sensitive you can be. It also includes being sensitive to the fact that some patients are not comfortable about talking about any aspect of their personal life with anyone.

Try telling that to people who are born with a mixture of male and female sexual organs. The cyclist Robert Millar returned to commentating this year as Phillipa York and very knowledgeable she was too. Chancer I can guarantee that if you tried that approach in the UK no one would care. They've got far more to do than engage in a battle about whether you want to fill in a form or not.

I actually read the article and it is not about Doctors asking people their sexual orientation. It is about ensuring sexuality is included in all the background information that is kept on patients medical records. The article specifically mentions healthcare professionals, not Doctors. It is no more or less controversial than asking someone to say what their ethnic origin is. I do remember a case from my health service days when it did matter. A patient was admitted with a whole load of complex medical problems and the consultant couldn't work out what it was. The patient was seriously unwell and one of the team questioned whether he may have AIDS. The consultant was adamant that there was no way this man had AIDS as he wasn't a homosexual or a drug user and he certainly wasn't going to mention it to him as it was a ridiculous idea. Fortunately the junior doctor was less blinkered, asked the patient a few pertinent questions and yes, he was a homosexual and turned out to be HIV positive but was too embarrassed to mention this to the oh so heterosexual consultant.

My understanding was not that Doctors would ask every patient but that if would just be information, like all the other information, that makes up patient information. Probably collected in the same way at the first admission to hospital, and just as with ethnicity, there would be a 'rather not say' option.

As student occupational therapists their job is to assess their patient or clients and work out an intervention or program that enables them to return and function in their home, work and social environment. They can't do that without getting a good understanding of that person, and their sexuality is an important part of that. Medical invention is rarely just about medication or other physical interventions. Nursing, social care, physio etc. Are all part of hospital interventions these days and all work in conjunction with medicine.

It's been asked as part of standard assessments for some time. Sounds like someone's just found out and decided to go into indignant mode. We had some patients who volunteered to be interviewed by students for their exam. The patients were also involved in the assessment of the students. One patient was a woman with MS who was completely wheelchair bound. They all asked her about her home situation and she told them she lived with her partner. All of the students assumed incorrectly that her partner was of the opposite sex and continued to ask what 'he' did and how much 'he' did around the house. Not every person in that situation would be happy then having to correct the interviewer and explain that they were gay. When the students did find out they were also embarrassed..(and lost marks of their assessments).

I suppose no one can force you have a donated organ..the question is do you mind donating yours when you no longer need it. I had a friend who died young when his kidneys failed, leaving a wife and two young children, so as far as I'm concerned they can have any bits of me they want for any purpose.

No problems with fuel shortages this way. (Dordogne). We bought some on Thursday..no queues, no closed pumps

Just driven up from the Pyrenees and no queues or shortages. Didn't even know there was a blockade.

Usually the trains only run a limited service so if I am working I have to drive, which is a bit of a pain. If the farmers block le Cleric you have to park the car somewhere else and walk. This time round there was a march through the centre of Bergerac, which my visitors thought was amusing. I think we've just learned to adapt.

I'll help you dig a tunnel! In the river in Eymet there is a dip called 'le trou d'anglais' and it's where the English perished during one of the many battles that went on there during the 100 years war. What you have to be careful of with some of the local French hairdressers is that they seem partial to tinting hair a rather bright shade of purple..'un peu de fantasie ' as one explained to me. We call it Castionnes purple. I still colour my own hair..have done since I was 15. I have no idea what my natural colour is. I've been to French and English hairdressers here. I now go to one opposite the supermarket in Bergerac which is part of a chain. No appointments, different staff every week and a bit hit and miss as to whether the hair is cut in a straight line.

It depends which one you are looking at.

[quote user="Chancer"][quote user="lindal1000"] The day after the referendum the most searched for term on Google was 'what is the EU". I rest my case........................................................................................ On fake news. [/quote] [/quote] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/brexit-google-what-is-the-eu_uk_576d4f06e4b0232d331ded24