A friend of mine who used to be a hospital assistant told me this week that she noticed that older patients were actively neglected in hospitals. It seemed to her when she worked there that medical staff took longer to answer their calls, they were reluctant to give them more than the bare necessities of treatments and generally seemed to think them a nuisance.

How old is ‘older’ I asked. “Well…over 50 anyway” she replied.

Over 50! That’s half your life given our current life expectancy!

So don’t go into hospital once you hit the big 5-0 guys. You’re not going to be welcome.

It’s all part of the general belief in this country (and other Western countries) that the older generation are nothing but a drain on the economy and should do the decent thing and shuffle off as soon as possible.

Nonsense I say!

I think it’s time that the older generation, particularly those with children and grandchildren, gave themselves a pat on the back for what they’re contributing to the economy.

For example, did you know that while Age Concern has valued the childcare contribution that grandparents make at £3.9 billion a year, an HSBC report put their annual contribution at closer to £50 billion a year – the same amount the Treasury gave to shore up the banks the first time round!

My mum runs a nanny agency so I know just how much it can cost to have even a part-time nanny looking after your children. It’s just not possible for many parents, particularly single parents. As our society continues to fragment, it’s often the grandparents who quietly have to step in and shore up what’s left of family life.

Right now, a quarter of all families rely on grandparents for childcare support while half of single parent families do.

Not only that, but many of these grandparents could be working elsewhere and making much better money. As you know, we’ve got lots of money-making ideas for the over-60′s in our Make Money section. There are many, many things that grandparents (and you can be in your forties and be a grandparent!) could be doing to build up some cash for themselves, but many are sacrificing this on behalf of their children. Only 1 in 10 is being paid for it too!

At least the government has begun to recognise this sacrifice. They’re bringing in national insurance benefits for grandparents looking after their grandchildren instead of going out and working.

From April 2011, grandparents and other adult family members providing childcare are entitled to National Insurance credits (just as a stay-at-home-mum would) toward their basic State Pension, meaning they will be rewarded for this role like any other job.

The kids under care must be aged 12 or under and they must be cared for 20 hours or more per week.

The issue of grandparental care is something we’re going to have to address soon because I don’t see the need going away – in fact I think it will increase as benefits are cut and families continue to fragment. The silent group of grandparents need to get vocal!