How do we make sure elderly people get the care they deserve?

But if we are in a crisis, more surely needs to be done to make sure our senior citizens are being treated with respect and dignity. Reporter Sundari Sankar spoke to some of the people in Warwickshire who have an idea of what measures can, should and are likely to be taken.

The MP:

• JEREMY Wright, MP for Kenilworth and Southam, founded the all-Parliamentary group on dementia in 2007 and was its chairman until 2010.

He said: “There are two big issues. One is the standard of care provided and the other is how care in the longer term is going to be funded.”

Pointing out that a Government White Paper on funding care of the elderly is due to be published in the next few months, he said: “My guess is the solution will have to lie in a combination of funding from the taxpayer and funding from individuals.

“We are probably going to have to ask people to think about what type of care they are going to want much earlier on, so if they need care, they are going to have something to contribute towards it.

“This is not going to be easy and we cannot expect the White Paper to produce a magical solution.

“I am sure there will be a significant debate and so there should be, because this is a hugely important issue.”

So what about the situation in Warwickshire specifically? Cuts suffered by the county council have meant it has had to close some of the care homes it runs, while others are likely to close this year.

Mr Wright said: “There are changes being made by Warwickshire County Council which, as we all know, has funding pressures.

“One of the things which I think is very positive is that people are being given more choice about the care they receive. Most people would prefer to stay at home for as long as possible.

“This is what the county council is heading towards and I think it is right about this and this is certainly what most people say to me who are in this position.”

What Mr Wright considers is of paramount importance in the light of any future decisions is to look at the issue of dignity in care.

He said: “There is undoubtedly a problem in some places.

“The Care Quality Commission needs to do more unannounced inspections so we can actually see what’s going on.”

Mr Wright also highlighted the training of staff as an important area on which to build on.

He said: “There is obviously a big challenge because as we all get older, the instances of us developing dementia increases. We need to make sure there should be expertise in the condition.

“People who work in elderly care must have training in dealing with dementia. It’s quite frightening how few do. It seems to me that if you run a care home, one of your responsibilities is to make sure that your staff are properly trained and that should be budgeted in.”

The national charity:

• ELIZABETH Phillips is chief executive of Age UK Warwickshire, which is based in Leamington.

The director of the wider national charity recently spoke out about the danger of care of the elderly being plunged into “absolute crisis” if the Government was to go ahead with its planned spending cuts to council-run care services.

Mrs Phillips said: “From what I have seen through the work I am doing in hospitals in Warwickshire and Coventry, the commitment by staff to ensure that they have the ‘patient journey’ as good as it can possibly be is at the forefront of their minds and actions.

“But there will always be individuals who fall short of the mark and those people are the ones who need to be given constant training and awareness of the importance of people’s dignity.”

Pointing out that the hospitals in the Warwickshire and Coventry area have welcomed Age UK in to help improve patient care and support, Mrs Phillips said: “I don’t think we are in a crisis here. There is a much greater awareness by NHS staff of working more closely with the community.”

With regards to residential care homes, Mrs Phillips said: “We do know right across the county and the country, standards vary and our advice is always to find the latest inspection reports of any care home you are considering.

“We do hear of tales from time to time of a lack of training of staff because they do tend to be quite low paid and, as a consequence, there is quite a high turnover.

“That makes it quite difficult for staff to keep homes up to scratch.”

Backing the county council’s move to provide more ‘extra care’ sites - where people live in their own homes but have access to care services when they need it - Mrs Phillips said: “Encouraging people to remain more independent is the right way.

“But people with dementia are in a different situation and residential homes have a role to play there.”

The local charity:

• CHRIS Bratchie is the chief executive of Stoneleigh-based charity Independent Advocacy which provides advocacy support to those with physical and learning disabilities and mental health problems in a range of issues.

She said the charity’s role was to work with residential care homes - and sometimes hospitals - to make sure there are no complaints, although she and the rest of her team often do come across problems pointed out by their clients - problems that they are always willing to bring to the attention of management staff.

Ms Bratchie said: “Due to age and impairment, residents in care homes often have difficulty communicating their needs and feelings to staff who are not always trained to manage the loss of hearing, speech or dignity in those with or without capacity.

“This can cause stress and aggravation of existing health and wellbeing issues.

“The understanding of a resident’s prior lifestyle and cultural background, along with end-of-life sensitivity is something that could underpin all training for care staff and enforced by senior staff, managers and owners.”

She added: “We are happy to explain the benefit of our role to home managers or owners throughout Warwickshire.”