Policies that Enable Older People to Remain at Home as Much as Possible - Essay Example

?Policies that Enable Older People to Remain at Home as Much as Possible The elder generation’s legacy and sacrifice have made life easier for the present generation. Thus, it is the responsibility of the modern society to recognise their contributions to the world and provide them a safe, congenial and comfortable environment that will enable them to carry on with the rest of their life in peace. The U K government, in their attempt to extend certain benefits and privileges to the elders have designed and implemented several policies, to improve their quality of life and help them cope up with their fragility and other old age related problems. The most significant among such policies are health care policies set forth by the National Service Framework (NSF) for older people with its guidelines to promote the eradication of hardships and to provide access to “dignity and independence for older people” (NHS Plan Dept of Health, 2000) (Leeson 2004). The objective of dignity to elders can be achieved only if the policies emphasise the concept of enabling older people to remain in a homely environment as much as possible, to usher in the safety and general welfare of senior citizens. The UK has been a pioneer in drafting many such policies that seek better avenues to channelize appropriate alternatives and resources for the elderly people, as discussed below. Though the concept of taking care of the elderly has existed even in the earlier civilizations, in the form of shelter for the old and community care centres, the idea of specific policies and laws to govern them began to manifest their presence from the beginning of the 19th century. The succeeding years after Second World War (WWII) saw the advent of demographic changes with a sharp rise in life expectancy and fall of fertility rates, with an unprecedented increase in the population of older people. The modern welfare state carried forward the policies and laws for the old and aged and institutionalized them. The prevailing “Poor Law” (Public Assistance following Local Government Act, 1929) (Thane 2009) where power was designated to public assistance committees of local council has given way in the 70s, 80s and subsequent years to the present policies, the focus shifting to enabling elderly peope to remain and be cared for at their homes. The spotlight being on the need for older people to stay at home for as long as possible (Department of Health, 1989), the White Paper on Community Care (1989) discussed about the society deliberating to see the roles of State, community, families and individuals in the rehabilitation and development of “independence, self fulfilment and participation (of elder) with assurance of care and dignity of who are most frail and vulnerable” (Leeson 2003). The resultant NHS and Community Care act-1990 has encouraged the development of community care provisions and implementation where present policies for older and disabled people should promote healthy independence, more carers, modernize and integrate service, provision of individual needs centred services, a feeling of belonging in the community, and a sense of money value. “Such policies rely high on availability of unpaid, informal typical family care from inside the community” (Harper and Leeson, 2002) and “current service models of distribution of specific factors in existing family care” (Leeson, 2004). Since the 90s, these policies and laws have undergone a sea change, with revisions and modifications of existing policies and besides implementing to new measures seeking to help community care, like “Disability Living Allowance from 1992’; the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act, 1995; the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Act, 1995; the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995; the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act, 1996” (House of Commons Health Committee: Social Care 2008-09) etc which have enabled the local authorities to make payments to disabled people to assist them in buying community services according to their needs. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) was established in 1999 and since 2007 it was absorbed into the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Since 2000, further steps had been taken “to improve support for older and disabled people in the community and their carers through various policies, including the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000, amended 2004; the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act, 2001; the Private Hire Vehicle Act, 2002 and the New Deal for the Disabled”, (Thane 2009) all consolidated in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 followed by the Disability Equality Duty (DED), 2006 have come into force. (Thane 2009) The recommendations through these policies make “community care which is central in the scheme of the welfare state, to give priority to the effectiveness of home visiting or home based support. Vast majority of older generation prefer living at home and institutional care becoming costly it becomes imperative for the lawmakers to prevent ill-health and disability and enable the old to live at home as long as possible where they can secure and sustain their independence in a home appropriate to their circumstances.” There is evidence that point to the fact that “home visits have considerably reduced mortality and nursing home admissions” (What is the Effectiveness of Home Visiting or Home-Based Support for Older People? 2004). Here, it would be significant to stress about the mental health of older people, which is a vital component for their wellbeing. In a report, “Inquiry Mental Health and Wellbeing in later life” (Lee 2007) The first part drew attention to the neglect of both mental health and of older people in areas of policy and resource allocation and the second part dealt with the inadequacies of the available services and the means to overcome these deficiencies. The report explores into the mental health problems that comes with old age (depression, delirium, and dementia) and other severe mental health conditions, which can deprive the benefits of the policies framed and jeopardize an elderly person’s life. The findings of the report sound the alarm and help take stock of the situation with the government coming up with new policies and legislations to address the existing flaws. As UK do not have a concrete plan drawn up, key policy documents relating to mental health like National Service Framework for Mental Health in UK(1999), “Raising the Standard-Revised Adult Mental Health National Service Frameworks in Wales’(2005),” “A Strategic Framework for Adult Mental Services in Northern Ireland” (2005) and “Delivering for Mental Health in Scotland” (2006), (Lee 2007) are being scrutinized to facilitate a new amalgamation of remedial policies to tackle mental health and well being of older generations. A UNICEF report published in 2007 suggests that even after a decade of investment and policy focus on young people, UK was one of the worst places in Europe even for youngsters. Thus, the plight of old which has no extensive analysis or government focus is better either. Though the UK’s elderly generation currently has a longer life span and better health than ever, as wealth has multiplied manifold and lifestyles and living conditions have been modernized tremendously, some evidence point to the old becoming increasingly unsatisfied feeling alone and depressed and no longer remaining happy. The reasons cited are “demographic changes which has shot up the older population considerably and their pathetic low level of life satisfaction and wellbeing” (Rachel et al. 2009). The situation is more appalling if the elder is poor, have health problems or is alone and living in unfit houses or edgy neighbourhood. Thus, it signals to the policy makers to dedicate necessary the need for adequate facilities as resource has inevitably risen. In many cases, the government and local authorities blame the lack of resources to escalating costs, which does not appear to be a tenable excuse because in the past, even with a lower GDP and standard of living the government has supported such endeavors. Thus, in the present times, funding should not be problems of resources are pooled from appropriate sources. Thus, the set of policies framed and the subsequent modifications and revisions of the policies have thrown up many challenges for the government to grapple with and come out with appropriate solutions. One of the main considerations is the feasibility and expansion of the Home Improvement Agencies or HIA (Care & Repair). This can eliminate the risk associated with falls, crime and fears of crime, with active participation from the local police or fire services .to make older people feel more “safe and secure at home” as suggest (Keenan 2011). Another major recommendation is the concept of “Personalisation” in social care. “The agenda is based on the recognition of the distortion arising in interests and knowledge of local authorities, as a means of care being different from that of the care recipient and the onus shifts to the recipient directly in determining and planning for purchasing their own care. The suggestion is that it could lead to better ways of expenditure incurred on buying care and meeting better needs at lower cost. It can also generate opportunities of large scale employment in the health sector. Hence “Personalisation” can benefit the older generation in more ways” (Land & Himmelweit 2010) With all these new policies regarding older people living in their own homes as long as possible on the anvil, more laws and reforms beneficial to the aged are to be materialised as legislations and the society in general is visualising that the impact will have better outcomes on the future of the old and their wellbeing, safety and security. If appropriate policies are thought out and implemented in the right earnest, these will definitely benefit the elders and the society can rightly feel that it is doing something for their elder generation who have done their best to serve the interests of the present generation. Reference List House of Commons Health Committee: Social Care 2008-09 2009. Print. Keenan, M 2011, Meeting the Needs of Older People: The Provision of Home Improvement Agency (Care and Repair) Services in Northern Ireland. University of Ulster and Jan Todd, IMS (NI) Ltd. Available at [Accessed on 2 Oct. 2012]. Land, H & Himmelweit, S 2010, Who Cares: Who Pays? UNISON’s General Political Fund. Available at [Accessed on 2 Oct. 2012]. Lee, M 2007, Improving Services and Support for Older People with Mental Health Problems. Age Concern England. Available at [Accessed on 2 Oct. 2012]. Leeson, GW 2003, Changing Families as Societies Age: Care, Independence and Ethnicity. Oxford Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford. Available at [Accessed on 2 Oct. 2012]. Leeson, GW 2004, The Demographics and Economics of UK Health and Social Care for Older Adults. Oxford Institute of Ageing Working Papers. Available at Read More