Welfare Reform on the Web (July 2005): Care of the Elderley - UK

Breeding ground for depression

K. Leason

Community Care, June 16th-22nd 2005, p.30-31

The incidence of depression among older people in care homes is far higher than among those in the community. Article calls for more to be done to improve diagnosis and treatment.

Care home closures in England: causes and implications

A. Netten, J. Williams and R. Darton

Ageing and Society, vol.25, 2005, p.319-338

The rate of care home closures in England rose substantially between 1988 and 2000, and has continued to rise at a rate of about 5% per year ever since. The net result has been a reduction in capacity, particularly in smaller homes. Both providers and regulators broadly agree as to the reasons behind the closures: cash-strapped local authorities, the main purchasers of places, were under pressure to keep fees down and national policies that raised costs were also coming into force, notably the national minimum wage and national care standards. Staff recruitment difficulties, particularly a shortage of trained nurses, also played a part. Government has responded by relaxing the standards and increasing funding to local authorities.

Feel good factor

K. Leason

Community Care, May 26th-June 1st 2005, p.34-35

A significant minority of older people suffer from mental health problems such as depression due to bereavement, isolation and poverty. These can be prevented through provision of educational opportunities, maintenance of social networks, and encouragement of community engagement.

Flexible homes, flexible care, inflexible organisations? The role of telecare in supporting independence

J. Barlow, S. Bayer and R. Curry

Housing Studies, vol.20, 2005, p.441-456

Telecare involves the use of ICT to provide support for frail older people in their own homes. The UK government wishes to make telecare available in all homes that need it by 2010. Article shows that while there is now considerable experience of telecare in pilot and demonstration schemes, the move to mainstream service delivery is far from straightforward. Implementation of telecare requires multi-agency and multi-disciplinary working, and has implications for extracare housing provision and the upgrading of people's own homes.

Public involvement and the ageing of the population: incompatible trends

S.Wait and E.Nolte

Ageing Horizons, 2005, Issue No.2, p. 35 - 40

This article explores public involvement in health policy, and the level of knowledge about older people's thoughts about their health care experience, looking at:

• implications for health policy in the context of an ageing population
• age trends in patient participation and public involvement, and asking whether the UK government's stated aims for the former is realistic in an ageing society.