Welfare Reform on the Web (March 2003): Care of the Elderly - UK
CARE HOMES FOR OLDER PEOPLE: NATIONAL MINIMUM STANDARDS. 2ND ED.
Department of Health
London: TS0, 2002
Standards cover: choice of home, health and personal care, daily life and social activities, complaints procedures, the physical environment, staffing, and management and administration. They apply to residential care homes providing nursing or personal care for older people.
ELDER ABUSE: CHANGING THE SETTING
C Paley
Registered Homes and Services, vol. 7, 2002, p.120-121
The government has produced only guidance on prevention of elder abuse by care workers. This is inadequate given the scale of the problem and primary legislation is required, together with additional resources for its implementation.
THE HOUSING AND SUPPORT NEEDS OF OLDER PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
J Percival and others
London: Pocklington Trust, 2003
Between March 2001 and July 2002, 400 people living in Plymouth, Birmingham and London, took part in a survey. Results show visual impairment to be one of the most prevalent and disabling conditions in later life. Care services do not in general recognise or help with the emotional consequences of sight loss. Specialist social work teams offered limited assessment and monitoring of need. Social isolation and lack of human contact were prominent concerns.
IN DEFENCE OF CARE: THE IMPORTANCE OF CARE AS A POSITIVE CONCEPT
R Rønning
Quality in Ageing, vol. 3, Dec 2002, p.34-43
Article discusses two attacks on care as a positive concept. Feminists have attacked care as a form of exploitation of women, while the disability movement has labelled it as paternalistic. Article goes on to discuss the dilemmas faced by those organising formal care in practice. It is necessary to balance client needs, employed carers' rights, the need for cost effectiveness, and the requirement for providers to be regulated by public law and government rules.
INVOLVING OLDER PEOPLE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK: MAKING PROGRESS IN THE NORTH WEST
D McNally, M Corness and P Leahy
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol.10, no.6, December 2002, p.37-42
The National Service Framework for Older People (DOH, 2001) is a ten-year plan which aims radically to improve health services for older people. Central to the plan is the belief that older people should be involved as "genuine partners". The article describes how regional and local implementation teams in the North West of England are working in partnership to develop a coherent and sustainable strategy for engaging with older people.
MEETING DIVERSE NEEDS IN THE NHS
A Devlin
Working with Older People, vol. 6, Dec. 2002, p.10-14
Article explains how services for older people can be developed to comply with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 whilst working towards the standards enshrined in the National Service Framework.
PROMOTING HEALTH AND ACTIVE LIFE IN OLDER AGE: LESSONS FROM WORKING WITH STANDARD 8 OF THE NATIONAL SERVICE FRAMEWORK FOR OLDER PEOPLE
G Granville and H Bowers
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol.10, no.6, December 2002, p.32-36
The paper explores how Standard 8 of the NSF for older people can help local services and communities address the health inequalities agenda. The paper introduces the initiatives being undertaken by eight pilot sites participating in the pre-retirement health check pilots initiative managed by the Health Development Agency and looks at some of the emerging themes.
REAL LIFE RESEARCH: BUILDING AN EVIDENCE BASE FOR INTERMEDIATE CARE
T Trappes-Lomax, A Ellis and M Fox
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol.10, no.6, December 2002, p.15-21
The third in a series of articles about trying to develop better evidence for a service on the health/social care interface. All are based on the authors' experience of carrying out a comparative study of residential rehabilitation for older people. The first two dealt with methodology and implementation. This article reflects on the completion of the project and the first stages of dissemination.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NHS AND RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING CARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE: A SURVEY OF HOME OWNERS AND MANAGERS IN EAST SUSSEX, BRIGHTON AND HOVE
L Garvican and G Bickler
Quality in Ageing, vol.3, Dec. 2002, p.24-33
Reports results of a survey of residential and nursing home owners in Sussex which aimed to ascertain their views on their working relationship with the local health authority, hospitals and social services. The study found that:
- funding problems were causing immense frustration;
- several were thinking of giving up;
- there was concern about premature discharge of residents from hospital, and about the standard of care in hospitals.
SETTING STANDARDS AND ENHANCING CHOICES
D Jones and J Manthorpe
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol.10, no.6, December 2002, p.22-27
This article reports on the process of involving older people in one local authority in the construction of standards for residential care. The findings suggest that involving a wide range of individuals in setting and reviewing local care standards is a necessity. A rationale for the exercise of individual choice emerged from the study, confirming that it is an important feature of acceptable residential care.