| Strand Nurses Bureau

Care options in later life

We all want to live to as long as possible, but the fear of poor health and spending our last years in a care home is stopping many people looking to the future says Advantage Healthcare. One in six of the population is now over 65, alone and with the overall population continuing to age, that figure is likely to be one in four by 2051.

Melissa Gane, Marketing Manager of Advantage Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest independent health and social care providers, says that many of us simply don’t want to think about our future, because getting old and having to depend on others isn’t an attractive prospect.

"We’ve all been there" she says, "The usual scenarios when an elderly relative falls ill involve the following, someone in the family needs to become the carer, there’s an extended stay in hospital or the relative will need to go into a care home. But that simply isn’t true."

While there are many good care homes across the UK, this route isn’t always the one favoured by the person involved or their relatives. Our own homes are often the place we feel most comfortable and safe and that’s important if you’re feeling ill or vulnerable, as many older people do, its important to know there is a fourth way. – care in the comfort of your own home.

More people are being supported to live at home than ever and there has been a steady, but significant reduction in the number of older people admitted to care homes. Indeed the number of households receiving intensive home care per 1,000 of the population aged over 65 has steadily increased from eight to 11 between 1998 and 2004¹.

An aging population is certain to put more stain on the NHS too. Although people aged over 65 and over make up only 16% of the population, they occupy almost two thirds of general and acute hospital beds, and account for 50% of the recent growth in emergency admissions. In financial terms, this equates to a spend of 43% of the NHS budget in 2003/2004, which is around £16billion. In the same year Social Services spent around £7billion, which was 44% of their total budget.

Of course I am in no way suggesting that patients should not be treated in NHS hospitals, but I know that there are times when hospital stays are extended until the patient is completely recovered. Our experience proves that in many cases patients actually recover far quicker at home, social isolation is reduced and the patient is more likely to maintain their independence and at the same time strengthen local family and friend networks.

Making the decision to receive care support, whether at home or elsewhere, is difficult enough for clients and their families without worrying about what type of care they need, how to secure funding, the quality of the care or how their care plan will be coordinated. This is where agencies such as Advantage Healthcare can assist.

In many cases, help with funding for care at home services can be provided, and those needing assistance may be eligible to receive payments from either Social Services or the Independent Living Funds. Because you are employing the agency direct, it gives you complete autonomy over the level of care provided – you can take direct actions to make sure the care is up to the standards you expect you loved one to receive.

Melissa concludes: "Its time to think about the future, you can have care at home, maintain independence, recover quicker and have complete control over the quality and frequency of that care – certainly something to think about!

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Care options in later life