10-11 Carlton House Terrace
St. James's, London SW1Y 5AH
UK
What is it to care for another human being? What responsibilities do we have to care for others – and when? Caring is now a central part of modern life. The 2011 census revealed there are around six million people providing unpaid care for an ill, frail or disabled family member or friend. At the same time, caring for children and the elderly is increasingly professionalised and commercialised. After a series of scandals in the NHS there are concerns about how to teach medical staff to care, how does one train people to be compassionate?
Join author Madeleine Bunting as she presents a series of five essays for BBC Radio 3 addressing this crisis in our understanding of what it means to care. She explores hospitals, nursing homes, nurseries and hospices. She asks: have we forgotten how to care? What is it about care – the patience and the attentiveness required – that now makes it so counter-cultural?