Why, oh why, do we sigh with despair at the perceived “burden” of the increasing older person demographic? Possibly it’s that terrible stories of Care Homes make good press – but the truth is that only the best Care Homes have survived. The ghastly old ones with low quality care have struggled to keep up with the exacting demands of the newly configured Care Quality Commission, and, increasingly savvy baby boomers are voting with their feet and refusing sub-standard care.
The front cover of Vogue has a lady of 100 – never! Richard Attenborough and the Queen going strong at 90 – well yes – to be expected, a packed tennis club in La Manga enthralled by the European Over 75’s tennis championship – outstanding – whatever your chosen superlative we can’t help but notice that older age is beginning to attract attention for all the right reasons. Social reforms since the 1920s: clean air, better houses, safer roads, smoking bans, the NHS have given most of us at least an extra 20 years of good health. Our older age population is a real success story and, let’s face it, the alternative to reaching old age is rather grim
On top of this, there are a crop of new initiatives looking at how busy, sandwich-generation trapped families can be helped to relax, happy in the knowledge that their loved ones are being safely cared for in their own homes.
One such new initiative is 24 hour live-in care. This sort of service, if properly run, helps people to not only stay safe in their own homes, but also helps them to find a fulfilling and satisfying life despite any age related complications – and that is the key…. Life is for living however young or old you are.
However, once you start thinking about care for a loved one, emotions run high and finding your way through the minefield of care providers can be exhausting. For this reason we have developed our web site to give you all that you need to know when you are looking for any care for an older person – there is even a handy Care Cost Calculator from the About Us options button.
Top tips when looking for a care provider:
- Speak to someone who has used the service
- Make sure that the service is registered with the Care Quality Commission
- Don’t be tempted by companies that urge you to self-employ your carers – it is never as cheap as it sounds and can be rife with safety complications
- Make sure there is a named person available to speak at all times who knows your loved one.
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