A study examined how to promote quality of life for older people in care homes. Positive relationships enabled staff to listen to older people, gain insights into individual needs, and facilitate greater voice, choice, and control. Care home providers and statutory agencies should consider how their attitudes, practices, and policies could create pressure and unnecessary paperwork that ultimately reduced the capacity of care homes to respond to the needs of older people. Negative stereotypes of care homes had an impact on the confidence of staff and managers.
Source: Tom Owen and Julienne Meyer (with Michelle Cornell, Penny Dudman, Zara Ferreira, Sally Hamilton, John Moore, and Jane Wallis), My Home Life: Promoting quality of life in care homes, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2012-Oct
A report said that that the care home of the future should become a 'community hub', delivering a range of services under one roof or in closely integrated neighbourhoods.
Source: Mark Mason, Care Home Sweet Home: Care home of the future, International Longevity Centre – UK
Links: Report | ILC press release
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined the relationship between regulators' ratings of care homes for older people in England and residents' quality-of-life outcomes.
Source: Ann Netten, Birgit Trukeschitz, Julie Beadle-Brown, Julien Forder, Ann-Marie Towers, and Elizabeth Welch, 'Quality of life outcomes for residents and quality ratings of care homes: is there a relationship?', Age and Ageing, Volume 41 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
The inspectorate for healthcare and social care said that the healthcare needs of older care home residents were being neglected in some areas of England.
Source: Health Care in Care Homes: A special review of the provision of health care to those in care homes, Care Quality Commission
Links: Report | CQC press release | BGS press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Mar
The older people's watchdog for Wales called on the Welsh Government to review and update official guidance in order to offer greater protection for residents of care homes that were at risk of closure. Existing guidance did not set out clearly enough what older people and their relatives could expect to experience in certain situations, often leaving them feeling isolated and ill-informed, with no-one to turn to for support.
Source: Report to the First Minister Concerning the Welsh Government Guidance Escalating Concerns with, and Closures of, Care Homes Providing Services for Adults , Older People s Commission for Wales
Links: Report | OPCW press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A report summarized the findings of a survey of nurses working in residential care homes. It said that care homes were struggling to provide high-quality care for residents with complex medical conditions, against a backdrop of a severe funding, equipment, and staff shortages.
Source: Persistent Challenges to Providing Quality Care, Royal College of Nursing
Links: Report | RCN press release | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Mar
A draft commission report set out a series of recommendations for hospitals and care homes to help them tackle the underlying causes of undignified care of older people. The criteria used for selecting and appraising staff should give the same emphasis to their assessed values and capacity to engage with older people as to their formal qualifications.
Source: Commission on Dignity in Care for Older People, Delivering Dignity: Securing dignity in care for older people in hospitals and care homes – A report for consultation, NHS Confederation/Local Government Association/Age UK
Links: Report | NHS Confederation press release | Alzheimers Society press release | BASW press release | BGS press release | GMC press release | Labour Party press release | LGA press release | NCPC press release | RCN press release | RCP press release | Community Care report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Feb