Caring for elderly loved ones in Haringey
This work was prompted in part by recent care home closures in Haringey, and the wider national pressures on care services. We wanted to hear people’s experiences and then help partners and stakeholders in Haringey to think about specific approaches and models of care that would best suit the needs of the local community.
Whilst some of the project’s participants were users of Haringey’s adult social care, there were many others who have been caring for their loved ones in their family home.
We also heard the perspectives of staff who work in adult social care services within the local authority, to understand some of the trends that they have witnessed over recent years.
There’s not enough support for these elderly people within the borough. I feel like there’s not as many home visits and stuff, so not as frequent anymore for people that require it. From the district nurses or stuff like that, that used to be a lot more of an option.
Some key research insights
- Family members taking on unpaid caring roles to ensure an appropriate standard of care is provided.
- The psycho-social impact of isolation on the elderly within care homes.
- The need for information about what support is available to older people and families and how to access care.
- The need for greater clarity on future adult care provision, including the prospects for the development a large modern care home.
Some conclusions
The older people’s housing market in the UK is experiencing a prolonged period of increasing demand. With Haringey’s population of residents over the age of 75 increasing at an accelerated rate, it becomes clear that the number of people who will be requiring adult social care is also steadily rising. While this may ordinarily present a significant ‘market potential’ for both new and existing operators, many local residents have lost trust in the service delivery of adult social care to meet the needs of their elderly loved ones.
As this research has clearly shown, the rise of family members adopting caregiver roles for their loved ones to have greater autonomy and peace of mind, demonstrates that there is a transformative shift taking place in adult social care delivery.
Rebuilding community trust and supporting unpaid carers and caring staff will be important. In terms of the closure of care homes, the reasons for this have varied and include lack of urgency and inadequate distribution of local government resources.
The rising costs of residential care, particularly now when families are already struggling in the post-pandemic landscape, has meant that residential care is simply inaccessible for less affluent individuals. Private residential care home providers tend to prefer residents who are both low-dependency and low-cost so that they can increase their profits.
Within Haringey, local residents have taken a very active approach towards caring for elderly loved ones. Residents are concerned about the quality of care that their elderly loved ones are receiving, to the extent that some have taken care plans into their own hands.
Headline recommendations
- Increase financial support for independent carers in Haringey.
- Raise greater awareness of pathways for caring for the elderly in Haringey.
- Increase joint working between care service providers and families.
- Enhance holistic support networks in Haringey aligned with care services.
- Provide tailored support for vulnerable service users in Haringey.
- Improve current care home services based on feedback.
