yourcarehome.co.uk blog

Elderly Care Home news round-up for 11th May 2012

Leading article: Time is running out to reform social care

11 May 2012

The Independent calls for the challenge of social care funding to be tackled without delay.

The two major issues are that the current means tested system for social care funding does not work well and is not comprehensive, and that in the next 20 years, the number of elderly needing care and support will increase by a further 2 million.  "The time for excuses" says the Independent, "has run out."

  

Lack of comprehensive social care reform bill is 'unforgivable failure'

11 May 2012

Guardian Professional considers the Queen's Speech and the implications for avoiding the social care reform bill.

Commentator Richard Vize writes that the failure to introduce a comprehensive social care reform bill is "an unforgiveable failure of leadership" on the part of the government. 

 

Thousands of falls in elderly should be prevented: report

11 May 2012

The Telegraph reports that the number of elderly injured or killed by falls could be prevented by coordinating care between the NHS and social services.

Currently, the UK has the largest incidence of hip fractures in Europe, with the majority caused by falls in the elderly.  A falls prevention strategy could reduce the number of falls by up to 30%.

 

For full detail on today's elderly care news, visit yourcarehome news

Changes to home care inspections

In the Guardian today, Philip King of the CQC explained the new programme of inspections due to be rolled out for home care across the UK.  He illustrated the practical difficulties of inspecting home care, including the fact that the carer may well be providing care of a higher standard than normal if they have an inspector watching their every move.  Equally, the presence of an inspector can be upsetting to the elderly or vulnerable.

In the new programme, the CQC will contact the elderly and their families through questionnaires, phone calls and interviews.  There will be 250 spot checks on the carers and their managers which will have been prearranged with the person receiving the care. The CQC will look at care plans, training records etc and will consult with local care groups about care in the region, before publishing reports on the home care agency as well as a national summary of its findings across the UK.

The CQC certainly need to be seen to do something.  Recent events both in home care and care homes have illustrated some real shortcomings and with the recent resignation of head of CQC Cynthia Bower, all eyes are on what the CQC intends to do to improve its performance.  Any improvements to inspections are positive, but the question remains, is it enough?

Guide Dogs for the Mind...

A new scheme being developed in Glasgow - The "Guide dogs for the mind" will be trained to help people with dementia by triggering reminders to sleep, eat and take medication. The dementia dogs will be able to open a cupboard where their own dog food is stored, for example, and bring attention to a note reminding sufferers to make meals for themselves too.

Is this a good idea, or will it cause more problems for the carers? What happens when the dementia gets too bad and the dog's welfare is in question? Do they take the dog away after a bond has been built? What do you think?

http://www.yourcarehome.co.uk/news.asp?idno=1258

The Importance of Powers of Attorney

The Guardian has a great article this week all about why arranging a power of attorney is so important. Many people try to leave it until the last minute or prefer not to think about it at all, but that can often lead to a long, costly battle for relatives, should they ever need to access your affairs.

By arranging power of attorney now, you can ensure that you are making the right choices for the future and you can save your family from a battle with the banks.

For more information, read our information and advice sheet about Powers of Attorney.

Cross party talks on elderly care start this week - Let battle commence!

Cross-party talks on the future of elderly care funding begin tomorrow - lets hope they go better than in 2010 when the talks broke down due to major disagreements about Labour's so-called "death tax".  A working group put together by the Dept of Health has recommended that an elderly person should pay up to £60,000 towards their care, as opposed to the £35,000 currently proposed by economist Andrew Dilnot. Should make for a lively discussion.

Sharing homes - could it work?

The Guardian this week looked at a Homeshare project, where students or young people are placed in houseshares with the elderly.  The student will agree to live there and look after the elderly owner (a certain number of hours each week) in return for significantly lower rent.  Housing sorted for the student, care sorted for the owner.  

This is an interesting concept, but as with all live-in care situations, would have to be very carefully regulated to avoid abuse of the system or of the individuals involved.  Whilst the positives are clear (financial and social benefits for both parties), and advice is given about making clear rules from the start (how much care should take place, what form that will take etc), I can see no mention on the Homeshare website about CRB checks or any other checks which take place to minimise potential threat of abuse.  I am in two minds.  Whilst the case studies (across the world) illustrate how the scheme can work, I am left wondering if there are any stories illustrating how the scheme can go wrong...

Funding cuts hit front line services for the elderly - surprise?

The Telegraph reported today that Paul Burstow the care services minister has admitted that cuts in council spending are directly impacting on the elderly, as councils are reducing their nursing and care home budgets by hundreds of millions of pounds.  He is demanding to know why the £2 billion allocated to support adult social care has not reached the front line.  

Well, in light of the fact that councils were already in deep crisis over elderly care and the fact that the elderly are unable to make their views about cuts known by camping out in front of St Pauls, perhaps we should be demanding why this £2 billion wasn't ringfenced in the first place, to ensure that it could not be used to plug gaps in other areas of council spending.

Meanwhile, the Coalition's answer to this dire state of emergency is to promise a white paper setting out really firm plans...next Spring...again...

Considering a Retirement Village?

If you are looking for alternative care options, it is vital that you consider all the options.  If you are concerned about losing equity in your property, you may like to look at retirement villages.  Retirement Villages, also known as retirement communities or care villages are relatively new to the UK but are growing quickly, offering a variety of housing types, an extended range of facilities for older people, and attractive settings.

Read all you need to know about Retirement villages

Ten Facts about Hearing Loss

If you care for anyone over the age of 65 or you yourself experience signs of hearing loss, it useful to understand the condition. Joan McKechnie (BSc Hons Audiology & Speech Pathology) from Hearing Direct.com has provided us with 10 facts about hearing loss which help to dispel the myths about hearing loss. 

Read Ten Facts about Hearing Loss

Isolation Week 20th - 26th June 2011

This week, a team of volunteers are taking part in an experiment run by Friends of the Elderly, to see how people cope with isolation.  For one week, they will be living alone, cut off from the world around them - no conversations, no phones, no internet or interaction with anybody else - with just a TV for company.  

Currently, over one million older people in the UK live isolated and lonely lives. A million more feel trapped in their own homes and one in five older people see other people less than once a week.

To make the volunteers' experiences more realistic, there are socks to fill with dried peas, beans and popcorn kernels which will mimic the painful sensation of walking on arthritic feet.

Distorting, fuzzy glasses give an impression of what it is like to live with impaired vision like cataracts or glaucoma.

And diving gloves will make it hard to pick things up or to manipulate simple items like a knife and fork as though you had arthritis.

"All the equipment is designed to reproduce the physical challenges of ageing as well as the mental toll that living an isolated life can bring." say Friends of the Elderly

 

Follow the experiences of the volunteers during Isolation Week