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 Cllr Martin Davies |
Help us to keep elderly in a home of their own
Cllr Martin Davies responds to the revelations in last week’s CNJ that care homes could be sold
In the past 40 years there have been huge changes in the way we live. People are healthier, live longer and expect much more.
In the next 40 years, we can expect further dramatic changes. We know that as we live longer, more people will suffer from dementia and these people still want to remain independent for as long as possible in a home of their own. In Camden, we need to respond to these demands now and we simply do not have the homes that meet these key requirements.
I believe we must act now to reshape services the council provides for older people. We have just published a document, Serving Older People, which asks for views on how we should improve the homes and services available for frail and elderly residents.
To kick-start the debate, we have outlined one way to deliver the changes we need. This proposal would see two new care homes, with 160 rooms, for a mix of nursing and residential care. There would also be up to 140 new extra-care sheltered housing flats that give people more of the independence and privacy they crave.
It would also provide us with the chance to completely renew the popular but ageing Charlie Ratchford Centre, with a new building and possibly extra-care homes on site.
We provide some of the best care and support in the four care homes we currently manage. But these homes do not meet modern standards for space, convenience and privacy. In our care homes, residents have to share bathrooms and toilets. The bedrooms are small, making it difficult to offer good physical care for the frailest residents. This kind of service is fast becoming unacceptable.
We need modern care homes, which will provide the intensive nursing support our most vulnerable elderly residents need. To meet the desire to remain as independent as possible, we need to develop a new style of home called extra-care sheltered housing.
This provides residents with their own flat, a greater personal space and more flexible choices about how and where to spend their leisure hours, but most importantly trained care staff on site to provide help and support 24 hours a day.
We want to get people involved in the design of the new homes and the services we provide. It is difficult balancing important factors in the design. For example, do you value good outside space to enjoy plenty of social activities or having enough space to bring your own furniture and personal possessions?
Do you think we should rebuild our homes or not? If we were to rebuild our care homes, what do you think is the best way to do that? For instance, building nursing care together with extra-care housing would mean people could stay in one place, but may mean the extra-care housing is seen as less independent.
We also need to look at how these care homes are managed? Do people want to live in homes managed and owned by the council or would they be happier in independently-managed homes where quality remains high and costs are lower? Should we be inviting one of the many voluntary organisations to run homes?
We could choose to do nothing at all. That would mean the current residents do not have the inconvenience of change. But it would mean we are left with outdated care homes that do not provide the privacy and independence elderly and frail residents want in the 21st century.
Finally, we do need to hear from as many people as possible. Don’t think that because you are in your 40s and 50s it won’t affect you. This plan aims to give us homes that will be around for many years to come.
Serving Older People and the questionnaire are available online (at www.camden.gov.uk) and from all main council offices and libraries.
You can get more information by calling 020 7974 3265.
We are hosting a series of borough-wide meetings
(details are on www.camden.gov.uk and in Serving Older People).
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