A report was published on Friday  saying that elderly people, who are cared for in their own home, are regularly left stranded, unable to feed themselves or even get to the toilet.

Which? conducted the survey and the report describes the system ‘at breaking point’,  ‘manned by stressed carers having to rush through appointments’ and ‘in panic mode’.  The survey found out that there had been many failures including soiled sheets or clothing, waste left out and medication that had been forgotten including the giving of insulin for a diabetic patient.

The report gave many horror stories including a woman who was left alone in the dark and unable to get to the food left for her because her carer forgot to put the light on.  Another story included a person was left stuck in their chair, unable to go to the toilet, because their walking frame was left out of reach.  There were examples of administrative failures meaning that carers did not make it to all of their appointments.

The report found that agency staff that were on council contracts, were so pressured into rushing through their appointments that basic errors were being made in the 15 minutes of alloted time.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which? said “We must see real action because everyday is another day older people risk being neglected”. When asked about the finding in the report and survey David Roger, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Well-Being board, said “We know there isn’t enough money in the system. Local authorities are doing all they can to find solutions that don’t impact on services.”

The Life Dept adds: care and the well being of the elderly is vitally important. The elderly have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and not as an inconvenience. Sadly we hear many care home horror stories.  You can see some in the Care Watch section of our website.

Written exclusively for THE LIFE insurance DEPT | 19 Mar 2012 | providers of life insurance, critical illness insurance and income protection cover.

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