Elderly can be nursed at home

Friday, 28 May 2010

Medical science and a better general health consciousness throughout the UK has resulted in an increasingly ageing population in the country. This has brought about some unforeseen issues in terms of care and independence.

The tradition is to ship the elderly to hospitals or nursing homes when they reach a certain age. New research revealed that this is fast becoming an outdated mode of handling the elderly.

Researchers from the West England University found that older people can benefit much more from remaining in their homes than being moved into care facilities.

To make this a viable option, a new report funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is calling for more funding towards clinical training for social care staff. Such training should focus specifically upon residential home care, according to a Bristol 24/7 article.

The research was led by Deirdre Wild from the University of West England and Professor Ala Szczepura from Warwick Medical School. They focused on providing care for people in three types of residential homes: voluntary sector, privately-owned, and local authority-owned homes.

Ms. Wild said: “The research findings support the view that good basic health/nursing care can be delivered in a residential home, provided there is a sound practice-driven relationship with community nurses, and that care staff know when to seek nurse-led support.”

What's this?