Pandemic efforts improves perception of care settings, say Harrogate care provider
It's as figures show trust in the safety of care homes has doubled year on year
The director of a Harrogate care group's told us it's great to see care staff finally getting the recognition they deserve.
During the pandemic care homes were placed in the spotlight and, as a result, awareness and knowledge of what they are and how they operate has increased.
It's as new figures from Opinion Matters show more than two thirds of adults say they now know more about the care industry than ever before.
With this increase in knowledge comes an increase in trust, with confidence in the safety of care homes almost doubling year-on-year (24% to 45%). Overall, more than a third (34%) agree that their impression of care homes is now more positive than before the pandemic.
James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare which has homes in Harrogate, said:
"It has been a very emotional journey for everyone but on a very positive note it has put the care sector on a pedestal. It has allowed the public to see what we do and to recognise us in a positive way.
"Sometimes the NHS takes precedent over social care and I think that has been evened out. The NHS need us just as much as we need them and our staff should be recognised on a par and I think we are starting to achieve that.
"It became recognised that actually for a lot of older people leaving the NHS does mean moving to a care setting like a care home so we actually complimented each other and that very much became apparent during the pandemic.
"Our carers and all of our staff have gone through a very tumultuous journey and have really had to pull together as a team to in some respect take the place of family who couldn't visit which is just heart breaking."
The figures also showed 47% view a care home as a ‘home’ for older people, rather than just a ‘place’ for people to spend the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, nearly half (47%) would feel more comfortable if a loved one with dementia lived in a care home to have people around them interacting, supporting and caring for them and just under a third (32%) agree they believe a care home offers a sense of community to help tackle loneliness.
This is perhaps echoed by the concerns of loneliness and isolation felt by many during the pandemic, with 56% of people who know or have known a family, friend or loved one in a care home admitting they felt worried for their loved ones mental health during the lockdowns due to separation.
Although confidence in care has increased, over half of people still believe a care home is just a place for people to spend the rest of their lives (53%), and not a desirable place for later life or a home with 15% agreeing they don’t believe care homes offer a sense of community to help battle loneliness. Vida Healthcare are acting to change this with their new care home Vida Court ‘the Care home of the Future’.
Vida Court is a new specialist dementia care home designed to care for residents living with dementia. The culmination of 10 years of research is embodied in the site, heavily influencing its design, technology and choice of facilities, to ensure healthy wellbeing for residents, their visiting family, and staff.