scholarly journals Older and ‘staying at home’ during lockdown: informal care receipt during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst people aged 70 and over in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Evamdrou ◽  
Jane Falkingham ◽  
Min Qin ◽  
Athina Vlachantoni
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Household Members ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Staying At Home ◽  
At Home

On 23 March 2020 the UK went into lockdown in an unprecedented step to attempt to limitthe spread of coronavirus. Government advice at that time was that all older people aged 70and over should stay at home and avoid any contact with non-household members. This studyuses new data from the Understanding Society COVID 19 survey collected in April 2020,linked to Understanding Society Wave 9 data collected in 2018/19, in order to examine theextent of support received by individuals aged 70 and over in the first four weeks oflockdown from family, neighbours or friends not living in the same household, and how thatsupport had changed prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The researchdistinguishes between different types of households as, given with guidance not to leavehome and not to let others into the household, those older people living alone or living onlywith a partner also aged 70 and above are more likely to be particularly vulnerable. Theresults highlight both positive news alongside causes for concern. The receipt of assistancewith Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), especially shopping, has increasedparticularly among those living alone or with an older partner, reflecting the rise ofvolunteering and community action during this period. However, not all older people reporteda rise, and the majority reported ‘no change’, in the support received. Moreover, amongstthose older people reporting that they required support with at least one Activity of DailyLiving (ADL) task prior to the pandemic, around one-quarter reported receiving no care fromoutside the household and one-in-ten of those with two or more ADL care needs reportedreceiving less help than previously. Although formal home care visits have continued duringthe pandemic to those who have been assessed by the local government to be in need, it isimportant to acknowledge that some older people risk not having the support they need.

Met and unmet care needs of older people with dementia living at home: Personal and informal carers’ perspectives

Dementia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1963-1975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Mazurek ◽  
Dorota Szcześniak ◽  
Katarzyna Urbańska ◽  
Rose-Marie Dröes ◽  
Joanna Rymaszewska
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Multidisciplinary Treatment ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
The People ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Informal Carers ◽  
At Home

In Poland, there are few reports of the holistic approach to caring for older people with dementia. The aim of this study was to assess the needs of people with dementia living at home. This was done by evaluating the perspective of people with dementia themselves and that of their carers. The study included 47 people diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia and 41 informal carers, all living in Wroclaw in Poland, involved in the MeetingDem project. The needs were assessed using the CANE. Other scales used were: the MMSE, the GDS and the QOL-AD. The carers reported significantly more needs, both met and unmet, than the people with dementia themselves. The most frequent reported unmet needs both by the people with dementia and their carers included activities of daily living, psychological distress and the need for company. Based on this study’s findings, tailored multidisciplinary treatment, adjusted to their needs and wishes, can be offered thus creating integrated and individualised support.

scholarly journals Housing Choices of Older People: Staying or Moving in the Case of High Care Needs

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2888
Author(s):  
Maša Filipovič Hrast ◽  
Richard Sendi ◽  
Boštjan Kerbler
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Supported Housing ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Daycare Centre ◽  
High Care ◽  
Staying At Home ◽  
At Home

Despite the development of various housing options across Europe, older people often face the choice of staying at home with the support of family and/or formal services or moving to a care home, but how people vary regarding these preferences and how newer cohorts will be different is under-researched. This study explores the housing choices of older people under the condition of liminality, which is defined as the hypothetical condition of high care needs. The most common choices available are compared; that is, staying at home (with social home-care support or visits to a daycare centre) or moving to supported housing or a care home. Cluster analysis revealed five distinct groups of older people that were differentiated in their choices between various options of moving versus staying at home, either by using home care or daycare. Differences between the clusters along three dimensions that influence decisions to move or stay, namely levels of attachment, satisfaction with housing and availability of support, which often function as limits on the options that are preferred, were explored. The results present the complexity of the decision-making process under imagined conditions of liminality and show a great diversity among people’s preferences. They also indicate that a significant share of older people have a strong preference for only one option (two of the cluster groups).

Income, Capital and the Cost of Care in Old Age

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Gibbs
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Cost Of Care ◽  
Nursing Home Care ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost

ABSTRACTAccording to ‘conventional wisdom’ older people are now relatively well off and, as a result, many are in a position to pay for their own care and housing needs in old age. In reviewing the evidence for this latter proposition the article provides a brief overview for the UK population and the implications of an ageing society for the care services. A summary of the main sources of income available to older people is undertaken, including home ownership and ways of releasing equity which might be employed to generate extra income. On the basis that it is also important to match information about financial resources available to older people to the cost of different services, the article reviews the likely costs of residential and nursing home care and the little that is known about the costs of domiciliary services. In short, the article presents a summary of the relevant background information and examines the issue of whether elderly people could (but not necessarily ‘should’) finance their housing and care needs in old age.

scholarly journals Living with illness

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (31) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Nesby
Keyword(s):  
Roland Barthes ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Individual Life ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Living Together ◽  
Family Setting ◽  
Staying At Home ◽  
Challenges And Strategies ◽  
At Home

In this paper, I wish to discuss how people living with severe illness at home depict their lives either in a family setting or alone. Roland Barthes writes in Comment vivre ensemble (1977) about individual life lived in a variety of collective situations in different settings, and calls this idiorrhythmia. One of the settings Barthes studies is the sanatorium, where the figures of Autarky and Clôture, implying living together and living alone, are made relevant. I will use the concept of idiorrhythmia, to discuss ill people living at home either alone or together with relatives. The discussion is based on four contemporary Scandinavian novels: Lars Gustafsson’s The Death of a Beekeeper (1978), Ragnar Hovland’s A Winter’s Journey (2001), Gunnhild Corwin’s Ida’s Dance (2005) and Ellisiv Stifoss-Hanssen’s Let me sleep until this is just a dream (2014). These novels describe young and old adults suffering from cancer, staying at home and the challenges and strategies involved in living together or alone while experiencing severe illness.

Enabling the person with moderate dementia to remain at home

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 324-329
Author(s):  
Linda Nazarko
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Care At Home ◽  
The Uk ◽  
At Home

Most older people would prefer to remain at home and receive care at home until the end of life. In the UK, around 16% of older people die at home ( Hall et al, 2011:3 , Figure 1:1) and around 10% of people with dementia die at home ( Public Health England (PHE), 2019 ). In Europe, including the UK, the population is ageing and it is important that older people are enabled to remain at home whenever possible ( Hall et al, 2011 ). As dementia progresses, this can become more difficult, but can be managed if the appropriate support is provided. This article explores ways to support people with moderate dementia to remain at home.

Third sector partnerships for older people: insights from live at home schemes in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olumide Adisa
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
At Home

Purpose While there is a rich literature on the role of partnerships between statutory agencies and third sector organisations for public service delivery in health and social care, the evidence base on, partnerships between community-based groups and charities for older people in the UK is lacking. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, the purpose of this paper is to examines partnerships within 46 live at home (LAH) schemes. These schemes were specifically designed to tackle isolation and promote independence and wellbeing by providing a wide range of activities, based on the needs of its members. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an online survey of 46 LAH schemes and face-to-face interviews with seven scheme managers to capture data on the various partnership initiatives within the LAH schemes. Findings Third sector partnerships for older people varied by type – formal, semi-formal and informal. In addition, third sector partnership working fosters the achievement of clear outcomes for older people who LAH and could be a mechanism for building social capital in communities. The study also identified barriers to developing third sector partnerships within this context. Mapping existing partnerships in LAH schemes were considered to be useful in engaging with partners. LAH scheme managers were better able to identify partnerships that could be deepened and broadened, depending on the desired outcomes. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, there are few studies on third sector partnership working in LAH schemes for older people. According to Age UK, there are 1.2m chronically lonely older people in the UK. Over half of all people aged 75 and over live alone (ONS, 2015). Loneliness and social isolation in later life are considered to be two of the largest health concerns we face. Scaling up these third sector partnerships may offer a credible way to shore up support for older people who live alone or want to live at home.

scholarly journals Co-resident care-giving and problematic sleep among older people: evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1195-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Maun ◽  
Karen Glaser ◽  
Laurie Corna
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Resident Care ◽  
The Uk

AbstractIn light of current pressures within formal social care services, informal carers assume an important role in meeting the care needs of a growing number of older people. Research suggests relationships between care-giving and health are complex and not yet fully understood. Recently, wide-ranging associations between sleep and health have been identified, however, our understanding of the links between care-giving and sleep is limited at present. This study assesses longitudinal patterns in co-resident care-giving and problematic sleep among older people in the United Kingdom. Our sample included 2,470 adults aged 65 years and older from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Problematic sleep was defined as two or more problems in going to sleep, staying asleep or sleep quality. Using logistic regression models, we assessed how co-resident care-giving status, intensity and transitions influence the likelihood of problematic sleep in the following year, adjusting for potential confounding factors. Adjusted analyses found co-resident care-givers were 1.49 (95% confidence interval = 1.06–2.08) times more likely to report problematic sleep in the following year, relative to those not providing care. Care-giving over 20 hours per week and continuous co-resident care-giving also significantly increased the odds of problematic sleep. This suggests older co-resident care-givers may be at greater risk of incurring sleep problems than non-care-givers. Further longitudinal research is needed to investigate care-giver-specific consequences of poor sleep.

scholarly journals Loneliness, older people and a proposed social work response

2020 ◽  
pp. 146801732092763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Hagan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Family Networks ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Work Intervention ◽  
The Uk

Summary This article is based upon a scoping review of literature about older people and loneliness. Findings Increasingly in the UK, older people’s experience of loneliness is conceptualised as a public health concern. Social workers will wish to respond appropriately to older adults reporting loneliness but may react on the basis of keenly held assumptions about loneliness in later life, with scant regard to distinct subcategorisation of the construct. Exploring what an appropriate social work response may be, this article first sets out four misconceptions related to older people’s loneliness: that older people are especially lonely, loneliness correlates with living alone, strengthening family networks is best for alleviating loneliness, and loneliness interventions should tackle the issue directly. Applications A proposed model is introduced regarding social work intervention, focusing upon direct assessment of needs, the maintenance of meaningful existing relationships and, if required, potential introduction of new social support avenues. Additionally, it is recognised that a separate response to long-term chronic loneliness may involve psychological work addressing cognition.

scholarly journals Can extra care housing support the changing needs of older people living with dementia?

Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1492-1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Chester Evans ◽  
Teresa Atkinson ◽  
Ailsa Cameron ◽  
Eleanor K Johnson ◽  
Randall Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Acceptable Quality ◽  
Extra Care Housing

With over two-thirds of people with dementia living in the community and one-third of those living alone, it is important to consider the future housing needs of this population, particularly as symptoms of cognitive impairment increase. Policy in England has focused on enabling people living with dementia to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, often with the support of a family carer. However, many people struggle to maintain an acceptable quality of life in their own homes as their dementia advances, often due to the design limitations of mainstream housing and the challenge of finding specialist domiciliary care that is affordable and of sufficient quality. Extra care housing offers a model that aims to support older people living in their own apartments, whilst also offering specialist person-centred care as and when it is needed. This paper reports on a longitudinal project that explored how extra care housing can respond to the changing social care needs of residents, including those living with dementia. Participants included residents and staff from four extra care housing schemes, one of which was a specialist dementia scheme, in two regions of England. Interviews were carried with 51 residents across 4 rounds at 5 month intervals between October 2015 and June 2017. Interviews were also carried out with 7 managers, 20 care staff and 2 local authority commissioners of housing for older people. Key factors included person-centred care and support, flexible commissioning and staffing, appropriate design of the environment and suitable location of the scheme within the wider community. The challenge of delivering services that addresses these issues during a period of reduced public spending is acknowledged. Further research is suggested to compare different approaches to supporting people with dementia, including integrated and separated accommodation, and different stages of dementia.

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