What Older People Want From Care and Support

Les Clarke

Director of Strategy and Service Development

Housing 21

• Leading provider of housing, health and social care services for older adults

• More than 17,000 units of older peoples accommodation

• 120,000 hours of home care per week

• 5th largest domiciliary care provider in the UK

• Specialist services for people with dementias

• Innovations in PFI and PPP

• Life of Choice for Older People

• Every person matters

Wants and Needs

• Too long been about needs• Basic provision• Welfare mentality• Patronising• Started to think about want• Want implies an element of choice• More than needed• Personalisation promotes wants focussed

approach

Economy – is it a threat?

• No doubt that public funding will focus on needs• There will be little spare cash for luxuries• Even increases in pensions will not offset impact of

other budget changes• “Everyone has to make a contribution”• Yes – things will change• Bio-social model• Biopsychosocial model

Some things I have learned About Older People

• Quite capable of doing it for themselves

• Resilient

• Imaginative

• Well able to cope

• Faced far worse

• Support each other

• Don’t expect everything to be gifted

• Don’t want to be patronised

• Some need a little help and support from others

They Want

• Good quality of life• Choice• Control• Autonomy• Freedom• To be happy

Not much

• Safety• Security • Pleasures

– Some simple– Some not so simple– Some innocent– Some not so innocent

• Company• Activity

They Want

• Friendship• Companionship• Comfort• Pride• Respect • Admiration• Love• Sex

More Specifically

• Stay in their own homes in their own communities

• Freedom from discrimination

• Opportunities to participate in meaningful activities– 70% of women aged over 85 live alone

– 66% of households in sheltered housing are single person households

• Good relationships

• Good physical health

• Adequate income– UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Wellbeing in Later Life, Lee, M (2006),

Age Concern England

How Can a Large Organisation Provide Deliver a

Personalised Approach?

Building Blocks

• Values• Cultures• Ethos• Leadership• Systems and processes• Outcomes focussed support planning• Being real• Actions speak louder than words• Every person matters all the time

It’s the fundamentals of good management

• Right people• Right attitude• Good supervision and support• Customer focussed training

– Technical competence

– Consumer ethos

• Positive role models• Management tolerance levels• Empowered tenants and service users• We receive what we are prepared to accept• High expectations drive high achievement

If you give people choice

• You may not like the choices they make• We don’t have to• WE are there to support and facilitate not

control• Your life – your choice• Might have to change the way we think and do

things

Can we do it?

• Flexible care and support

• Assistive Technology

• Internet café

• Adventure nights for people with dementia

• Men’s night

• Licensed Bar

• Drag Queen

• How to look good naked

• Speed dating

I would like to take my

grandson to the park and

feed the ducks