Our clarion call to election candidates
Putting home care on the map pre-election
With election fever building, we are urging prospective parliamentary candidates to engage with us as we work to help shape social care in the future and how it works alongside the broader healthcare system.
We see this as an opportunity to raise awareness of the needs of older people and the fantastic care delivered in the comfort of people’s homes by a dedicated army of care professionals whose empathy and compassion impacts so many.
We’re keen to focus on a number of key points:
Choice for families:
We are keen to emphasise the importance of allowing families to choose where and how they age. Too often ‘care home’ is seen as the primary option but home care has so much to offer. We are now dealing with more and more complex care, including the management of long-term health conditions, as well as companionship and home help services. So much more is now possible and is already being delivered.
The majority of people wish to age in their own home, a place of comfort and familiarity. We are proud to be involved in a sector that makes this a reality.
Care education:
We need to educate families earlier about care provision available to them before a crisis situation happens. Millions of families across the UK are dealing with the challenges of ageing parents while juggling work and childcare with research stating that 88% are neglecting their own wellbeing and health. With 5 million plus people providing unpaid care in the UK, more support needs to be made available so they can choose the right care.
Social isolation:
Our teams are keen to share the work they do in local communities to prevent social isolation and loneliness. Home Instead offices do so much to support people outside of their traditional ‘care’ role – it’s one of the ways we will deliver on our company mission to ‘expand the world’s capacity to care’. From memory cafés, companionship cafes to community workshops on dementia and fraud, to our annual Be a Santa gift-giving scheme – there is so much we can all do to support our ageing population.
Age-related prejudice:
We are keen to discuss ageism in our society and would love to see the development of a strategy for older people which seems them valued as an asset – think of all the knowledge and life experience they bring to society! You can find more details about ageing well here.
Quality of care:
Quality needs to be the main driver of care choices; rather than a cost-driven model which results in poor care with poor outcomes. Quality care, in particular our healthcare at home services, support the NHS as well as local healthcare teams, to help people live well at home.
Whatever the colour of the future government, we are committed to continue to champion home care and the people who work in the sector.
If you’d like to know more about us and our home care services, please get in touch.