Last week I watched “Panorama” on BBC1 which investigated the state of the care industry.  Sometimes when you see programmes on TV or read articles in the newspaper about your industry, i.e care,  it is clear that the content is produced by people who don’t really understand the care industry.  In many case they resort to the lazy cliched stories – usually about carers abusing older people, or care homes falling below standard!

However, the Panorama programme really did focus on the issues the care industry.  They interviewed a range of people from care business owners like myself through to care staff, customers, customers families and those running social services.  Generally speaking they avoided the usual “blame game”.  I felt the programme highlighted the “perfect storm” – people over 80 years old will double in 20 years but no-one really knows how the care will be funded or delivered.  At the present time record employment levels not seen since 1975 are great but for the care sector it means a chronic staff shortage.  Usually this is dealt with by raising wages to attract/retain care staff (they deserve a decent wage) but if those paying for the service don’t raise hourly care rates better wages cannot be paid for.  As a result we are seeing care homes close, care companies giving rural packages back because they cannot even cover costs- at a time when care need are exploding – its madness!

My own “bug bear” is BREXIT, I don’t have strong views on Europe but it does seem it has caused us to stop thinking about anything else.  I am completely mystified as to why we cannot get a Care Green Paper published on the future on care because of BREXIT!  London has an army of civil servants.  I think in a few years time we will look back and realise 4 years on BREXIT debate has stopped the county moving forward in other ways – care, transport, education, business support etc.

The upshot of all this – we need the Government to invest the time in working out how care will be provided to our growing elderly population.  If we do not we will be in a position where we have more need and fewer care delivers.

Elderly patients stuck in hospital beds age the equivalent of ten years in just ten days through inactivity the new medical director of the NHS has said.  Stephen Powis said it is essential that community services are improved so that pensioners are not kept unnecessarily on wards.  Professor Powis said that there are over half a million more people aged over 75 than in 2010 and there will be a further 2 million more in ten years time.  Whilst people get older they often spend more time with ill health.  Andrew Travers the chief executive of Lambeth Council warned that the health service crisis could become an all year round event due to a lack of social care.  Health Secretary (Jeremy Hunt) stated Winter 2017/18 was probably the worst on record.

Mark Booker (Independent Living Chorley & Leyland) commented “we are all emotionally attached to the NHS and more funding is popular with the public.  Less fashionable is social care but what people need to understand is that if social care is not properly funded no matter how well the NHS performs people who need support at home will not be able to leave hospital yet it is proven that staying in hospital beyond medical need is both expensive and not good for the patient.  Therefore social care funding is just as important as NHS funds.”

Sir Ian Wilmut cloned “Dolly the Sheep” in 1986 which opened the way for stem cell research and treatments for Parkinsons.  Now the 73 year old has been diagnosed with Parkinsons himself but he has also become a patron of a new research programme which will try new therapies that aim to slow the progression of the disease.  Sir Ian realised something was wrong weeks ago when he walked the dog and became “stuck”.  The new research programme is aimed at potential tissue repair and clinical trials are due to start in Japan this year.

Parkinsons is a progressive loss of neurons which release dopamine needed for movement.  Symptoms include: trembling, pain and depression.  It affects 1 in every 500 people which is around 127,000 in the UK.  Most suffers are aged over 50.

Independent Living owner (Mark Booker) stated “we hear a great deal about memory loss and in particular Alzheimers because with an ageing population the numbers affected are massive.  Having said this it does not mean diseases such as Parkinsons should be neglected, it is a disease that affects our older population and is something which is expected to increase.  At Independent Living we find the some of our clients have both Parkinsons and memory loss, the link between the two is well known”.

We have specialised on helping people with Parkinsons for many years now, if we can help please call our office on 01257 696 050.

On Sunday 8th July St Catherines Hospice are organising the “Bay walk Challenge” a famous 8 mile walk around Morecambe Bay.  Head of Community Engagement at St Catherines (Emma Jacovelli) stated the walk is a great day out , it is not too strenuous but does go through soft sands and you can be knee deep in water.  To join costs £10 per adult and £5 per child, and a return coach is available at a price of £10 per person.

Independent Living owner (Mark Booker) commented “we help people with cancer and have a great relationship with St Catherines Hospice.  We look after people who are terminally ill in particular often in the final few weeks of their lives.  Whilst this is of course difficult area of work it is one of the most rewarding, helping terminally ill people takes a  great deal of pressure off other family members.  This area of work is where we receive the most “thank you” cards”.

Mark goes on to comment “many people think that St Catherines is totally funded by the NHS.  The reality is though is that it is costs a great deal of funding to keep the facility going but they do not get NHS funding and rely on funding and donations from the public.  As St Catherines reputation grows more people are choosing their services.  In addition their services are growing, for example they now help people in their own homes and this also requires funding.  We urge people to support St Catherines so they can continue helping local families”

More about the walk 01772 629171  or www.stcatherines.co.uk

A new centre was officially opened on the 27th April at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.  The LIFE centre is a flagship project which is designed to promote careers in the NHS.  The unit has a mocked up ward, a mobile education unit, a dummy A&E and e-ray room.  The aim is to show students what it is really like to work in the NHS in a variety of roles.  It will be used by local students but also available from people further afield.  Jackie Higham the “Widening Participation Manager” stated “the aim of this facility is to highlight the importance of careers in the health sector and the NHS”.

Independent Living Care Manager (Amanda Singleton) stated “it is great that we have this facility in Chorley.  We are finding that in both care and health it is becoming harder to recruit people.  For whatever reason at present it seems difficult to attract new employees and we are all hearing about the deficit of care care and the number of unfilled vacancies in the NHS.  Showing young people what it is like to work in the sector and the range of jobs available can only be a good thing”.

Chorley’s town hall clock tower was lit up in blue to mark World Parkinson’s Day on the 11th April, 2018.  It is 200 years since James Parkinson identified the disease he named as “shaking palsy”.  It is believed 145,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with the disease.  Chorley has a Parkinson’s Group which meets at 2pm on the first Tuesday of the month at Tatton Community Centre.

The group has a regular speaker and members of the group visit places of interest and complete helpful exercises.  Parkinsons affect the central nervous system and early symptoms include shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty walking.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) commented “when I started the home care business in 2011 we looked after a gentleman with quite advanced Parkinsons who had pioneering brain surgery to control his tremors.  As a result I became interested in the disease and we cared for a number of people with the disease.  We found that a person with Parkinsons would find their condition varying throughout the day with the afternoons usually better.  People with Parkinsons have to take their medication at a certain time and for a home care company timing the care visits was crucial”.

Mark also commented “we hear so much today about memory loss and Alzheimers because of the large number of people with the disease but Parkinsons also affects a great many people (100,000+) so it is great that it is also getting good publicity – we welcome “World Parkinson’s Day”

According to MPs more Councils and Developers should build bungalows because of their “endearing popularity among older people”.  There is a current shortfall of accessible and specialist homes which limits the housing options for older people.

An idea rejected is the reduction of stamp duty for older people moving but MPs said a national strategy is needed because the number of people over 85 will double in just 25 years.  Surveys show that high numbers of older people would move to bungalows if they were available.  A key problem in many places is that the price of land is so high it is impossible to make bungalows financially viable.

MPs also stated that new homes should be “age proofed” so older people can remain at home, all research shows people want to stay at home for as long as is practical.  It was also felt that the reason older people do not move to more suitable property is not just financial but also for emotional and practical reasons.  The National Pensioners’ Convention said it was unfair to blame older people for not moving which has recently been blamed for the lack of homes for families.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) commented “we have provided care for people in their own home for 6 years now and all the feedback suggests that is where older people want to stay.  A care home is seen as a last resort when people can no longer cope alone.  More bungalows would be useful because older people have mobility issues and having a bathroom etc on the ground floor is a much better option.  We also note that when people get to a certain age they do not want the upheaval of moving even if their own home is no longer ideal.”

It is great to see that the government are focussing on the needs of older people.  A report suggests 1.3 million older people are starving through loneliness and MPs are demanding more support for lunch clubs.  It is believed that isolation is causing malnutrition and food schemes such as lunch clubs and meals on wheels will help break this cycle.  Because loneliness is not an immediate social care issue people fall below the radar but people are now arriving at hospital just 5 and a half stone in weight.

The Prime Minister described loneliness as a “sad reality of modern life” and appointed Tracey Crouch as the first Minister for Loneliness to deal with isolation.  Generally pensioner poverty has fallen and malnourishment is often down to isolation rather than a lack of money.  This has a knock on effect to the NHS as people eventually require hospital treatment and this costs £12 billion a year.  Only 29,000 people receive meals on wheels down from 155,000 a decade ago.

The Registered Manager for Independent Living (Amanda Singleton) commented “given modern life many families are busy or may even live in another country.  Many older people spend the day alone and for some this creates isolation and loneliness.  Some older people are reasonably wealthy but if they don’t have family nearby and their network of friends is getting smaller they can find themselves alone if they no longer drive or are too ill to go out.  This can be made worse when a long term partner dies.  Lunch clubs, meals on wheels, home care and voluntary/community networks can all help to ensure that older people do have social contact and maintain their spirits.”

Well known DJ David “Kid” Jensen has made public his battle with Parkinsons.  He has had the disease for the last 5 years but has been afraid to speak out fearing that “people will think less of him”.  But the 67 year old has decided to make an official statement because he wants to demonstrate to other people that it is possible to continue with many aspects of your life.  He stated how when he has a tremor he became self conscious and worried that everyone noticed.”

David now aged 67  went on to state “I want to show it is not a death sentence , it is something that you can live with and that their are far worse things that can happen to you than Parkinsons” David has now decided to speak out having seen Billy Connolly and Skysports presenter Dave Clarke speak out and raise funds for Parkinsons charities.  Parkinsons is a neurological condition that causes problems in the brain and over time gets worse with no cure yet discovered.

Independent Living owner Mark Booker commented “we hear so much about dementia which is quite right given the number of cases but perhaps we do not hear so much about Parkinsons which also affects so many people.  We provide a large amount of care for people with Parkinsons and we have developed a specialism in it.  Many people choose to keep it private until it becomes obvious, it seems that people with the disease think that if they reveal their situation people will make false assumptions about their ability to make decisions and carry out everyday tasks”.

Carey Mulligan nominated for an Oscar for her performance in “An Education” and the star of “Suffragette”, “The Great Gatsby” and “Far From the Madding Crowd” has highlighted the plight of dementia suffers after her grandma lived with the disease for 16 years. During the time she had the disease she became more socially isolated and marginalised.

She feels that because dementia is often automatically linked with old age there hasn’t been the same level of investment, interest and effort into researching the disease and finding a cure when compared with cancer or diabetes that affects wider age groups. It seems we just accept that in old age people will get dementia but this is not a reason for not trying to find a cure.
The actress promotes the work of the Alzheimers Society with its “Dementia Friends” programme which provides talks aiming to raise awareness in the community of memory loss issues. The aim is to remove the stigma and understand that a person’s behaviour could be the result of the disease.

Mark Booker (Independent Living, Owner) commented “we work with a lot of people with dementia. Many people have milder forms of memory loss but can still lead an active life, for example going shopping or to the garden centre. As a society we need to become more patient, tolerant, and understanding of older people who have a right to access services.”