A study examined the experiences and aspirations of older people in residential and nursing care homes. It highlighted their ambition to increasingly influence decisions about care, support, and wider issues such as: whether or not to move to a care home; what helped to enhance their quality of life; and what was needed to promote their inclusion in care home, family, and wider community life.
Source: Helen Bowers et al., Older People's Vision for Long-Term Care, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Date: 2009-Nov
The Welsh Assembly Government began consultation on three main options for the future funding of social care for older people: a partnership between the state and individuals needing care, with the less well-off having more of their care costs paid for them; an insurance system, involving a state-backed or private scheme; and a compulsory system, where everyone over retirement age was required to pay into a state insurance scheme.
Source: Paying for Care in Wales: Creating a fair and sustainable system, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Consultation document | NHS Wales press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Nov
The government began consultation on measures required to prepare the National Health Service and social care services in England for the age discrimination requirements in the Equality Bill.
Source: Age Equality in Health and Social Care, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Consultation document | DH press release | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Nov
A paper examined the potential role of the financial services industry in providing a long-term, sustainable solution to the problem of funding long-term care for the elderly.
Source: Les Mayhew, The Role of Private Finance in Paying for Long Term Care in an Ageing Society, City of London
Links: Paper | City of London press release
Date: 2009-Nov
A report summarized the outcome of a series of seminars at which a wide range of stakeholders discussed what kinds of change were needed to create fairer approaches to ageing. Every political party's election manifesto should include an outline of long-term entitlements under a National Care Service to highlight a commitment to treating older people fairly.
Source: Donald Hirsch with Josh Bicknell, Fair Ageing: The challenge of our lifetime, Counsel and Care (020 7241 8555) and Housing 21
Links: Report | Counsel and Care press release
Date: 2009-Oct
The report of an official review examined age discrimination and age equality in the health and social care sector in England. It included a recommendation to implement the Equality Bill's age discrimination ban in health and social care at the same time as in other sectors. The government said that it was 'minded to accept' the review's recommendation on the timing of implementation.
Source: Ian Carruthers and Jan Ormondroyd, Achieving Age Equality in Health and Social Care, Department of Health (08701 555455) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 22 October 2009, column 72WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Annex | Hansard | NHS press release | WRVS press release | RCPsych press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Oct
The broadcasting regulator published research into measures that would encourage industry to develop communications equipment, products, and services that better met the needs of older and disabled people.
Source: Jonathan Freeman and Jane Lessiter, Exploring How Manufacturers, Suppliers and Retailers Address the Needs of Older and Disabled People: What are the barriers and drivers?, Office of Communications (020 7981 3000)
Links: Report | Ofcom press release
Date: 2009-Jun
An article examined the evidence base for the modernization of social care services for older people. It provided a systematic portrayal both of the state of social care for older people prior to the modernization process and of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base. It suggested that, for evidence-based practice and policy to become a reality in social care for older people, there was a general need for higher-quality studies in the area.
Source: Sally Jacobs, Chengqiu Xie, Siobhan Reilly, Jane Hughes and David Challis, 'Modernising social care services for older people: scoping the United Kingdom evidence base', Ageing and Society, Volume 29 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-May
Researchers examined the extent to which the LinkAge Plus programme had been a tool for capacity building, by developing and improving services that realized 'positive people-centred outcomes for older people'. (LinkAge Plus is designed to provide a comprehensive approach for accessible joined-up services for older people.)
Source: Martin Willis and Robert Dalziel, LinkAge Plus: Capacity building – Enabling and empowering older people as independent and active citizens, Research Report 571, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release
Date: 2009-Apr
A report said that a 'crisis' in care services for older people would deepen without more investment in preventive services and low-level care. The personalization of care and support services had failed to halt the decline in the number of older people offered low-level care packages.
Source: One Voice: Shaping our ageing society, Help the Aged and Age Concern (020 7278 1114)
Links: Report | HTA/Age Concern press release | Community Care report | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-Apr
A think-tank report said that future social care for older people required a radical new combined social insurance scheme. Existing local funding strains were unsustainable, and too many frail elderly people were being forced to sell and move out of their homes.
Source: Giorgia Iacopini and Chris Leslie, Better With Age: Reforming the future of local social care for older people, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: NLGN press release | Community Care report
Date: 2009-Feb
An article reported an evaluation of 10 extra-care schemes for older people, remodelled from sheltered housing or residential care units. It focused on the wide variation in assessing eligibility for an extra-care place and on some social consequences of remodelling. A number of tenants remained in situ during the remodelling process in six of the schemes. Building professionals were unanimous that retaining some tenants on site caused significant development delays and increased the remodelling costs. There was also a social price to pay. 'Old' tenants resented their scheme changing into extra care and were hostile towards 'new' tenants who had obvious needs for support. In some extra-care schemes, 'old' tenants were refusing to participate in meals and all social activities.
Source: Fay Wright, Anthea Tinker, Julienne Hanson, Hedieh Wojgani and Ruth Mayagoitia, 'Some social consequences of remodelling English sheltered housing and care homes to "extra care"', Ageing and Society, Volume 29 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan
An article reported the consultation with older people that underpinned the official evaluation of the National Service Framework for Older People in England. It focused on the views and experiences of older people from black and minority-ethnic (BME) groups, and of the staff that worked in BME voluntary organizations. The concerns expressed were more about the low recognition of culturally specific, and language, needs than for the development of services exclusively for BME older people.
Source: Jill Manthorpe et al., '"We are not blaming anyone, but if we don't know about amenities, we cannot seek them out": black and minority older people's views on the quality of local health and personal social services in England', Age and Ageing, Volume 29 Number
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan
A report evaluated pilot initiatives designed to promote social inclusion and tackle isolation among older people, and to improve access to services that promoted safety and well-being.
Source: Guy Daly, LinkAge Plus: Benefits for older people, Research Report 554, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2009-Jan
An article examined how the 'social capital' inherent in social networks could provide contacts through which older people accessed practical and emotional support; and the relative importance of kin and non-kin, and of participation in organizations and informal ties such as contacts with neighbours. Relatively poor support was found among elders who were childless or had been continuously without a partner; relatively rich support was found among those who had frequent contact with other people, who interacted frequently with neighbours, and who regarded their neighbourhood as a positive social environment. Among many different forms of organizational activity, the only ones that had a positive association with social support were being in contact with others through religious activities, and engaging in sports clubs.
Source: Anne Gray, 'The social capital of older people', Age and Ageing, Volume 29 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan
An article examined the emerging local response to 'active ageing' policy as a means to promote well-being in later life. It was based on research in a deprived, diverse community in East London. The findings helped to illustrate some of the benefits of organized activities: but tensions were evident where services for older people struggled without core funding.
Source: Christopher Deeming, '"Active ageing" in practice: a case study in East London, UK', Policy & Politics, Volume 37 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan
