Mini Institutions

Sat up in their ivory towers
They designed this brilliant scheme
None of them knew what was needed
None of them heard us scream
Let’s knock down the institutions they said
We’ve got a far better plan
Life will improve for all of you
Every woman – every man
Folk will be kind they’ll welcome you
Just you wait and see
Incarcerations a thing of the past
Like caged birds you’ll all be set free
You’ll all be well supported they said
There’s loads of support out there
But reality was different
Nobody seemed to care
Social exclusion prevailed
Social inclusion didn’t exist
Our neighbours purely added us on
To a long and stigmatised list
Responsibility was placed at the carer’s door
But carers had very few choices
We knew instinctively what would happen
But nobody heard our voices
New homes became institutions
Just smaller ones than before
Isolation and loneliness
Then back through the revolving door
A total lack of understanding
Reared it’s ugly head
Filling our souls with foreboding
Anxiety sadness and dread
They hadn’t thought it through you see
They thought they had all the solutions
We searched for care in the community
We found mini institutions