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Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

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  • Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

    Standard of care provided to elderly in their homes has been described as disgraceful in report by consumer group Which?

    In Hospitals in Care Homes and now in their own homes (where the councils, social services are trying to promote).
    When and where are our elderly going to receive the treatment they deserve?

    As I have said before if this is not addressed and soon then we too will be in this horrid situation.


    Older people are suffering "disgraceful" home care including missed medication and confinement to soiled beds, an undercover investigation revealed.

    Undercover researchers for the Which? consumer group reported missed visits, food out out of reach and vulnerable people left without a way of getting to the bathroom.

    Which? asked 30 people or their carers to keep diaries over the course of a week in January detailing their experiences of home care, also known as domiciliary care, by paid workers.

    One elderly woman was left alone in the dark for hours unable to find food or drink. Another was left without a walking frame, leaving her unable to get to the bathroom, while one man was not given vital diabetes medication, the watchdog said.

    Which? declined to name the agencies involved, saying it wants to protect people who gave feedback.

    One unnamed daughter reported: "They missed a day just after Christmas. They incorrectly entered into their database the days we didn't need care. I covered but mum didn't contact me until early evening, by which time she needed a lot of cleaning up. You wonder about the elderly with no relatives."

    A son said: "There are times when dad, who is diabetic, hasn't had his insulin on time and it's vital medication. When I voiced my concerns to the care agency I was just told to find another agency."

    Another daughter told the watchdog: "She can't see her sandwiches to eat them and hasn't touched her drinks as she can't see those either. I can't express how angry I feel at the carers. There is a printed note on the front door about putting a light on at 4pm as well as a note from me in the kitchen beside the care book. It is also in the care plan. What more can I do?"

    Others did identify good service, with one son saying: "My mum's carer does things without being asked, such as tidying up, and will do extra things like brushing her shoes. Mum says she's a real carer."

    However, a separate Which? survey found one of the most common complaints was missed and rushed visits, with relatives often left to step in.

    Almost half of respondents (47%) able to answer a question about visits said at least one had been missed in the past six months, while 62% of those had not been warned in advance.

    Which? said "in many cases" diarists reported a good service was provided only after complaining, with some family members being forced to make numerous phone calls and to have a "constant battle" with agencies.

    Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "The Government can no longer claim to be shocked as report after report highlights the pitiful state of care for older people. If they are serious about ensuring vulnerable people are treated with dignity, then we must see real action because every day they delay is another day older people risk being neglected."

    Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief executive Cynthia Bower said: "Home care is one of the most difficult areas of care to monitor because it is delivered behind closed doors which is why, starting next month, CQC will be carrying out a themed inspection programme of 250 providers of domiciliary care services.

    "We will be focusing on dignity and respect, the safeguarding of people in vulnerable circumstances and how well supported and trained home care staff are to undertake these most important care tasks.

    "We will use a range of ways of checking up on these services, including going into people's homes, contacting people who use services and their families and talking to local groups who represent the users of home care services."

    Age UK charity director general Michelle Mitchell said: "While many careworkers work hard to provide compassionate care, the under-funding of the social care system is resulting in a serious reduction of domiciliary care, which can put both the health and dignity of older people at risk.

    "Good home care must begin and end with the needs of individuals rather than focusing on a tick box of tasks to be completed within a set time."

    UK Homecare Association spokesman Colin Angel said the report highlighted "the disturbing consequences of the commissioning of homecare by local councils".

    "To meet the current stringent public sector spending cuts councils are making significant attempts to reduce the price they pay for care," he said.

    "Homecare agencies repeatedly tell us that councils also allow less time for care to increasingly frail and elderly people. This raises serious questions about the ability of people to receive dignified, effective care, a situation which must be addressed nationally."

    David Rogers, chairman of the Local Government Association's wellbeing board, said there was too little money in the system "and without fundamental reform the situation is only going to get worse".

    "Local authorities are doing all they can to find solutions that don't impact on the services they can deliver to elderly and vulnerable residents and despite a 28% funding cut from Government, spending on adult services this year is expected to fall by just 2.5%, the lowest for any service area."

    Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: "We are funding work to put in place the first ever training standards for care assistants to raise the bar on quality.

    "The best councils are arranging care that concentrates on delivering the outcomes people have a right to expect. Kindness, compassion, dignity and respect must be central to care, whoever provides it and wherever it is provided."
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  • #2
    Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

    I'll name one where care is at best mediocre, Anglesey. My parents regularly have Carers turning up up to 2 hours late. My mum is bedridden and gets out of bed with help to use a commode, and 2 hours is a long wait to go to the loo at age 83. Then of course they may be having breakfast at 11 and lunch arrives an hour later.

    Night time is a joke, they pay about £1000 per week to have an overnight carer who only has to get up once to pop Mum on the commode. One night when my dad fell, the carer said it wasn't in her care plan to deal with him and left him there. This is inhumane.

    When it's working, it's great, but when it goes wrong - a regular occurrence, it really is shambolic. All these things should be reported, but my parents are scared to do so. When you're 5 - 6 hours drive away, you do feel totally helpless.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

      IMHO it's all down to the agencies who charge anything up to £20 per hour in our area.
      they then employ so called carers and pay the minimum wage, so as I believe you get what you pay for, you end up with crap.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

        I have a daughter with severe learning difficulties as most on here already know.
        She gets Direct Payments to pay for her care that suits her, as her main carer I take responsibilty for employing her PAs and she has 2 lovely ladies that think the world of her.
        If you are entitled to care then you should be entitled to Direct Payments so you can have the care as you need it and not having to fit in with others and having carers drop in as they can.
        Here is the info and if you have any questions fire away I will help if i can

        Direct payments - Carers Direct - NHS Choices

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

          I agree totally. It is a mad world we live in when a supposed carer can leave an 83 year old man stuck on the floor as it is not in her care plan to deal with it. Not only minimum wage Carers, but ones who are scared stuff of litigation, and have had Health and Safety drummed into them to ridiculous lengths.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

            These horror stories are the type of incidents which give genuine care agencies and genuine carers a bad name. I strongly advice you to encourage your parents to complain to the agency or have a discreet discussion yourself with the care home manager. This is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated.
            If you do not have any joy with the agency I would strongly recommend that you change them until you find the level of care that is aceptible.

            There are still good agencies and carers around

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            • #7
              Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

              I am a care worker. I have worked in the community and now I am working in a care home. I have to agree, the level of care received by the elderly is a disgrace. In the community where you work for an agency, the care staff are so hard pushed for time and the time allocated is not enough for the needs of the individual service user. It was so distressing I decided to go into caring in a care home. It is extremely hard work and still has its distressing moments, but you are there all the time and you can sit and give the company and care that they need. Dont get me wrong, we are still stretched to the limit but if it means I run late and leave work 15/20 minutes late then so be it. I also care for my dad around fitting in my kids, my husband & my job. Someone recently suggested that I bring in carers so as to reduce the stress on myself but I vowed that, due to my experience with care in the community, there was no way I would subject my father to it. Most carers do there best with what little time they have but unfortunately for others its just a means to an end.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

                What do you all expect in a country where public schoolboys get grants and money to ride a bike faster than the next man then get a gong and make millions and become a so called hero when we cant look after those in need welcome to sick britain

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

                  Old age people are suffering disgraceful home care including missed medication and confinement to soiled beds,Its antonyms for us to hear such things.we should respect and care old people overall.In old homes there must be proper management of nursing and other facilities for olders.
                  supported living community
                  Last edited by John48; 6th October 2012, 06:41:AM.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

                    I repeat my post from 10th august

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                    • #11
                      Re: Home care for elderly 'disgraceful', report finds

                      omg labman thats disgraceful! your poor dad!

                      I have done what is known as manual handling training as I needed it to help customers in and out of wheelchairs for british rail, but I know that in case of emergency (in my case a customer falling on the floor) no training is needed to get them out of a position of danger, so or example you could help them on to a chair just to get them off the floor. It's a case of can do, won't do.

                      My dearly missed Gran was 85 when she became seriously ill, she had diabeties which was out of control and took to calling me Beth (my mothers name). She was taken in to the hospital and left in a wet bed, with no one near her, for 6 hours. When I complained to the nurses they said she was a "Bloody nusience."

                      My sister was bullied off a nursing/care worker cause because she was "Too Loving and worked too hard." She was frequently screamed at for refering to people as Mr x and Mrs Y.. or the elderly gentleman/lady instead of The Paitent, and once was dragged out of a cubicle whilst washing an old lady who had wet the bed because she said "Nevermind love, lets clean you up" in a gentle voice while everyone else shouted at her because she had hearing problems.

                      I suggest a return to the idea of people rather than numbers.. who cares i a hospital saw 123456789 patients? isnt it more important that they saw 5 who were treated with dignity and respect?

                      Comment

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