Welfare Reform on the Web (September 2003): Care of the Elderly - UK
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
A. Jamieson
Community Care, July 24th-30th 2003, p.36-37
The National Care Standards Commission is demanding that residential homes for older people organise programmes of activities to help them maintain good physical and mental health.
ADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE AND CHARGING FOR LONG-TERM CARE
G. Bradley
British Journal of Social Work, vol.33, 2003, p.641-657
Article draws on a study that explored charging for nursing and residential care for older people in five social services departments. The research showed administrative justice to be undermined by the unofficial exercise of discretion by SSD staff at all levels. Cases may be treated differently and accidents of geography, local political culture and personnel are likely to affect the outcome of financial assessments.
ARE HEALTH AND CARE SERVICES READY FOR A SURGE IN ALZHEIMER'S CASES?
N. Salari
Community Care, Aug.28th-Sept.3rd 2003, p.16-17
It is estimated that by 2010 there will be about 840,000 people with Alzheimer's disease in the UK, rising to 1.5 million by 2050. Local authorities need to start expanding support services, including provision of home care.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND ITS ROLE IN HOUSING POLICIES FOR OLDER PEOPLE
A. Tinker
Quality in Ageing, vol. 4, Aug.2003, p.4-12
Assistive technology aims to help older people remain in their own homes through use of various aids and adaptations. It includes aids such as mobile phones and emergency alarms as well as adaptations to the house itself. The aids have historically been supplied by the NHS or social services, while the housing adaptations have been funded by local authority housing departments through the disabled facilities grant. Article goes on to look at the focus on assistive technology in recent policy documents, exploring how the various types can be made to work together holistically.
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: INTEGRATING HEALTH AND CARE SERVICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN ENGLAND
C. Glendinning
Health Policy, vol.65, 2003, p.139-151
Recent policy initiatives have enabled the integration of:
- GP and community health services;
- health and social services organisations.
Both initiatives allow the pooling of previously separate funding streams. Paper presents findings from evaluations of the two initiatives. Paper concludes that structural integration can transform preoccupation with narrow sectoral responsibilities and boundaries to a "whole systems" approach to service planning. However, major internal barriers to integration remain, including professional domains and identities and differential power relationships between newly integrated services. The success of the new arrangements is also profoundly affected by the wider policy environment and relationships with national government. Together, these pressures exclude the voices of older people and call into question whether structural integration will deliver the changes they value.
CHANGING PLACES: REPORT OF THE WORK OF THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE CHANGE AGENT TEAM 2002/03
London: Department of Health, 2003
Report reviews the role of the Change Agent Team in assisting health and social care bodies in tackling the problem of delayed discharges from hospital and delivering appropriate services to older people. The Team has focused on rehabilitative services and sheltered housing as alternatives to placement in residential care.
COMMISSIONING CARE SERVICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN ENGLAND: THE VIEW FROM CARE MANAGERS, USERS AND CARERS
T. Ware
Ageing and Society, vol.23, 2003, p.411-428
One of the main objectives of the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act was to promote the development of domiciliary, day care and respite services in the independent sector. These services would be commissioned by local authorities for individual clients to enable them to live at home rather than going into residential care. This study investigated how this model of delivering care services was working out in practice. Found that the needs assessment and care management processes were in practice fragmented and very bureaucratic; that good quality care services were in short supply; and that arrangements for agency service monitoring were lacking.
INCREASING NURSING HOME CAPACITY THROUGH PUBLIC SECTOR PROVISION: A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH IN HAMPSHIRE.
C. Hardy
Journal of Integrated Care, vol.11, Aug.2003, p.3-11
In order to address a shortage of nursing home beds which was causing a high level of delay in hospital discharge arrangements, Hampshire County Council has formed a number of partnerships with local NHS bodies to create additional capacity,
INTERMEDIATE CARE: THE POTENTIAL FOR PARTNERSHIP
J. Andrews, J. Manthorpe and R. Watson
Quality in Ageing, vol.4 Aug.2003, p.13-21
Study explores through a literature review the concept of intermediate care, best practice in intermediate care, and the potential for collaboration between voluntary and statutory sectors in the delivery of services.
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
P. Burstow and others
Community Care, Aug.7th-13th 2002, p.28-29
Frail elderly people are being evicted from their care homes when cash-strapped local authorities are unable to cover increases in fees. Care homeowners say they face an impossible choice between militant action against vulnerable people or going out of business. Five experts on the crisis suggest their preferred solutions.
RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON RETIREMENT
P. Shipley
Housing, Care and Support, vol.6, Aug. 2003, p.32-35
Existing sheltered housing is failing to meet the rising expectations of a new generation of retired people. A number of forward-thinking housing providers are now active in developing new retirement communities or villages. These provide assistive technology, an onsite care team, security through the presence of CCTV, wheelchair accessible design throughout, and a village centre with leisure, entertainment and education facilities.