– I am shocked. This is how Lise Fjeldstad reacts after watching the Brennpunkt documentary about elderly care last week. The series reveals objectionable conditions in home care and nursing homes. – When I saw it, I was completely numb. There was a brutality in it, a contempt for humanity. It’s terrifying. What kind of society are we moving into? The 83-year-old believes many older people fear becoming dependent on help. – A lot of old people are terribly afraid, she says. Blame the Minister of Health – I get mad at the Minister of Health. After all, she is in a position of power and has the opportunity to do something. Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) admits that there is a need to improve current care for the elderly. – The stories that come to light are confirmation that not all places are good enough today. There are differences between our municipalities, she says. Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news At the same time, Kjerkol says that the government has taken several measures. Here she refers, among other things, to an investment in the GP scheme with 690 million. She also points out that there will be an older reform in the summer. Rage against hospital cuts Lise Fjeldstad is also provoked by the cuts in hospital budgets. Last week, Kjerkol said that the hospitals must tighten up going forward. On Tuesday, it became known that Oslo University Hospital is thus cutting its maternity services by closing the ABC clinic. – She stands with a smile and says we have to reduce expenses, says Fjeldstad about Health Minister Kjerkol. – It doesn’t work. She has the opportunity to save money if she gives in to the development of the new hospital in Oslo. Nobody wants that. Kjerkol says that even though the economy is demanding, the hospitals must still prioritize both treatment and investment. – There is a need for new buildings and to increase capacity in the hospitals in Oslo. OUS has the worst hospital buildings in the whole country, she says. Lise Fjeldstad has been one of Norway’s best-known actors for many decades. Here she is with Per Sunderland from the play Dødsdansen in 2014. Photo: Tore Halden/news Feel sorry for the elderly without children Yesterday, Kjerkol told news that each of us must do more to plan for our own old age. Fjeldstad disagrees with that. – No, I don’t think so, she says. – We boast that it is so magnificent here in Norway. Is that really it? Fjeldstad herself receives help from her children, but believes that elderly people who do not have children are having a terrible time. She tells how difficult it was to be discharged from hospital and manage on her own. – I couldn’t walk, but I was discharged from hospital. I live alone in a house with stairs. Fortunately, she was picked up at the hospital by her son who drove her home and cooked for her. news has asked Ingvild Kjerkol how much responsibility she thinks relatives should have towards their elderly. – This is a challenge that cannot be solved in the health and care services alone. We have to think anew, and together, she replies.
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