There;s No Place Like Home
In the words of the ruby slippered Dorothy, 'Thereâs no place like home' but rather than clicking their heels, the elderly are choosing to dig them in.
We spend most of our adult lives buying and improving our homes, Itâs a place where our children grow up and where memories are made. Why then would we choose to give them up simply because we have become elderly or infirm?
This is an issue raised in Gordon Brown's recent pledge to reform the social care system where he called for care to be more responsive to the demands for independence.
Allowing people to remain in their own home, where possible, is beneficial to their well-being. The familiarity of home offers comfort, privacy and dignity, things that help us to flourish but not necessarily survive. It is the manner of care given which often satisfies or denies independence in the home.
Much of the care received in the home, referred to as unpaid or informal care, comes from a spouse or family member and while many would agree that it was duty driven, the reality is that many unpaid carers are unrewarded and overlooked. The demand on their time compromises their quality of life including their income and employment opportunities. According to Carers UK, unpaid care is valued at £87 billion per year an issue also raised in Mr Browns plans for reform.
State provided care is a lifeline to many, figures published this year by The NHS information centre show that 334,500 households (or 346,700 service users) benefit from 3.9 million hours of home care. 78 per cent of the total hours of care were provided by the independent sector.
Dominic Rothwell, Managing Director of SureCare commented: "With improved mortality rates, the provision of home care has never been so important. The role of the âhomehelpâ has evolved and todayâs domiciliary care staff are well trained and often work in tandem with specialist care teams, enabling the elderly or those suffering with dementia or mental health problems for instance, a real choice to remain independently in the safe and familiar surroundings of their own homes."
He added: "Systems and technology that promotes independent living will be crucial to the future of social care. SureCare are currently developing a home monitoring alarm unit that will offer the service user added reassurance and assist our carers in providing an effective and efficient service."
The population aged over 70 has increased and the over 90s are now the fastest growing age group with a forecasted 40,000 of us achieving centenarian status by the year 2031. It is clear that care providers, charities and support groups all welcome the public consultation announced by the Prime Minister.
The decision makers would do well to fall in line behind Lion, Scarecrow and the tin man in their quest for courage and brains to help them bring about the "brave and innovative solutions for the social care system" called for by the Right care Right deal campaign, launched by Counsel & Care, Carers UK and Help the Aged to build public awareness of the need for changes in the health care system.
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