Opinion
How can the care home sector help itself?
Truly successful care homes will be those that fully engage with their local communities, resulting in rising standards, new social venues and fantastic publicity for the homes themselves, says Debbie Harris, founder of Chosen with Care
There’s a growing conundrum that we have to face as care industry professionals or potential residents – and let’s not be under any illusions, we are all potential residents. It relates to where we are going to go and how are we going to live when we can no longer be independent. Data from 2014 reveals that 11.6 million people aged over 65 (more than those aged under 18) and over 14,450 centenarians were living in the UK at that time – a rise of 72 per cent in the past decade.
From those figures alone, it seems reasonable to conclude that more people will be reliant on care – and for several years. Of course, that’s before we consider the increasing number of people with dementia; in 2014 over 850,000 people in the UK were living with the condition, of whom 91 per cent were aged over 65. By 2025 the number is likely to exceed one million – almost 10 per cent of the over 65s –and by 2051 it will hit two million. Just think of the pressure those figures will present to the care home sector.
There are currently 14,300 care homes in the UK and the average number of beds in each is probably about 60. This means that there are currently only about 860,000 places, most of which are fully occupied.
Starkly put, there aren’t enough care homes and the cost of running a home, the legislation and bureaucracy involved, limits its attraction as a business or a workplace. There’s a sense that more homes are closing than are being opened and it’s hard to accurately determine howmany are being planned in comparison to the number that are actually needed.
It has become abundantly clear that the state can’t wave a magic wand or provide a bottomless pot of gold – you only have to look at the NHS to realise that. While many people will have to self fund, the majority will be unable to do so,
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Participating in activities that are of interest should be stimulating, relaxing and fun
which means that pressure will be put on care homes to provide state funded care at a price. Perhaps the most worrying trend is that care homes are establishing an increasingly negative reputation, largely exacerbated by horror stories in the media and occasionally by personal experience. There is a lot of fear and a ‘head in the sand’ attitude that mean that few people are dealing with the inevitable until they absolutely have to. So, how can the care home sector help itself – and benefit those who will be dependent upon it in the years to come?
Knowledge sharing
I have already suggested that knowledge among those looking for care homes is extremely limited, and that applies to the people needing care and those who are tasked with finding it for them – usually close relatives. This means that they are often faced with a ‘panic buy’ at an emotionally challenging time.
All too often totally unprepared, people have no idea of what to ask or what to look for. So, above everything else, at the very outset they need informed guidance from someone they can trust.
Sons and daughters, husbands and wives, experience an overwhelming sense of guilt that they are no longer able to look after the person they love. They need a lot of reassurance that they are not alone and are making the best decision not only for their loved one but also for themselves.
The cost of care is a huge concern, but if properly researched there is no reason for anybody to have to move out of a care home because they have run out of money. Plus, our experience shows that if we find the right care home for the person, they will settle in well and embrace this new stage in their life. Because the search for a care home is often an emergency, knee jerk reaction to an unforeseen situation, there is little focus on ‘entitlement’ and the focus tends to be on finding somewhere quickly. Elderly people going into care have often lived a life quite different to the one we live today. Most have worked hard, paid their dues, brought up their families and made ongoing sacrifices cheerfully and selflessly. During that process they will have learnt a lot and gained a wisdom and realism that perhaps we are still
www.thecarehomeenvironment .com • May 2017
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