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Matt Seex Editor mattseex@stepcomms.com


CARE HOME


ENVIRONMENT Editor Matt Seex


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Mike Gammon


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Steven Dillon Publisher


Geoff King Publishing Dire


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THE CARE HOME ENVIRONMENT is published monthly by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road,


HOME ENVIRONMEN


is published monthly by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road,


Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1892 779999


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Email: info@thecarehomeenvironment.com Web: www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


Dementia – misconceptions abound


No clear path to social care reform


Welcome to the May issue of The Care Home Environment.


Welcome to the April issue of The Care onment.


home provider Care UK has laid bare many of the misconceptions and fears that people have about dementia. Almost two thirds of the 2,000 people questioned by OnePoll are afraid of developing dementia when they get older. More surprising is the revelation that 11 per cent started worrying about the condition in their 20s. Misconceptions about dementia abound – a fifth of adults wrongly believe that Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are different names for the same thing, while 17 per cent believe that if a member of their family develops dementia, this means that they will, too. While fourteen per cent of those questioned think that people living with dementia cannot lead a meaningful life, over a third admitted that they actually know little about the condition. Even though there are (according


to Alzheimer’s Society) an estimated 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia (a number expected to rise to


ISSN NO. 2398-3280 The Publisher is unable to take any


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According to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report Reforming adult social care in England, published on 20 March, government promises of reform have ‘once again gone awry’. Two years on from the government white paper People at the Heart of Care, the committee’s findings are damning. According to the report, while the government’s ‘vision’ was ‘generally welcomed by the sector’, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) ‘has not set out a clear path for achieving its ambitions, has scaled back its first efforts at reform, and is behind even on that.’ Furthermore, the committee found that that the DHSC ‘is not providing the leadership needed to deliver a social care sector that is sufficient to meet the country’s future needs, particularly in relation to the workforce’, and that ‘while we now have some short-term initiatives to support the workforce, these are not underpinned by a long-term, comprehensive workforce plan, unlike in the NHS. Along with differences in the way NHS and adult social care are funded, this contributes to a sense that the two sectors are not equal partners, and unless health and social care are sufficiently integrated, people requiring care will continue to lose out’.


New research commissioned by care Responding to the report, NCF CEO


Vic Rayner said: “The Public Accounts Committee builds on and reinforces the findings of the National Audit Office’s report last September. That report found that DHSC has drastically scaled back its ambitions for system reform and


1.6 million by 2040), Care UK’s research found that 72 per cent of adults have made no effort to learn about the condition. In response, Care UK has launched a new video guide which aims to debunk the myths surrounding dementia and provide support to families whose loved ones have been diagnosed with the condition. Suzanne Mumford, head of nursing,


care and dementia services at Care UK, said: “There are plenty of misconceptions when it comes to dementia, and what this means for the person living with it and their family. “In reality, dementia is a condition that


can be managed to ensure those who live with it can continue to lead fulfilling, meaningful lives and can be supported to still do the things they love. That’s why we’ve launched our latest video guide, One step at a time. Featuring tips from our experts, but also testimonies of residents’ families, it is designed to help people navigate through the dementia journey, from dealing with the initial diagnosis to learning how to live well with dementia.” While the results of Care UK’s research


might be troubling, they are perhaps not all that surprising. The spectre of dementia – along with the prospect of old age itself – is something most of us push to the back of our minds. It is a scary thing to think about, and most of us would prefer not to do so. Yet it is only a matter of time before dementia affects somebody we love, or indeed us personally. Perhaps, then, we all need to be a little braver and find out more about a condition that is almost certain to come into our lives one day. I hope you enjoy the issue.


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underdelivered on its workforce pledges. Today’s report goes further and concludes that the government has fallen very short of its manifesto pledge to ‘fix the crisis in social care’ and is failing to meet most of the commitments contained within People at the Heart of Care. The conclusions of the report speak for themselves. “We are in an election year, and any party wishing to become the next government must take the learnings from both of these reports if it is to be credible and effective in its plans to tackle the inequalities which see hundreds of thousands of people wait for assessments and care packages due to collapsing accessibility and availability of care. They need to speak up for care. “We must reframe the story of social care. A future government must take a long-term, strategic approach to investment in adult social care as a key part of the nation’s infrastructure that will benefit everyone. It must see the full potential of social care as a public service which unlocks economic growth, enables people to return to work, reduces demand on other public services and enables people to live good, meaningful lives with their loved ones in their communities.” I hope you enjoy the issue.


THE


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