Caring for Older People

As people get older they lose independence, they become less mobile and aren’t able to do everything for themselves any more.

It is important to ensure that they keep as active as they can to ensure they keep their independence for longer. Carers can help this process by offering activities that are enjoyable, safe and have minimal risks. This is important because it helps people enjoy the things that they are able to do, rather than offering them something they will struggle to do with the possibility of injuring themselves.They will also enjoy things that can keep their brains active, such as crosswords, paintings and colouring, keeping their hand eye coordination strong.

All of these activities will give those involved a great way to bond, get outside and experience the numerous benefits with interacting with animals, the outdoors and other residents. On average, adults aged 65 and over spend 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down, these activities would be a great way to get them up and about and get some fresh air in their lungs, and it is found that they will be much happier in general when they are able to engage in numerous activities.More examples include; picnics, trips to the zoo, shopping, coffee mornings and socialising with old friends and with new, allowing them to laugh and embrace and make valuable memories in their end stages. Carers must also encourage a sense of interdependence with the people they are supporting, creating a common ground for everyone, while they may have different beliefs; they are all passionate about something, meaning there is a mutual dependence relationship and raising morale. They should promote diets, exercise and activity programmes that meet their individual physical and mental health needs.

Adults aged 65 and over need to do two types of physical activity each week: aerobic and muscle strengthening activity. A few examples are; fast walking, tennis, swimming, dancing, gardening, yoga etc. By changing the amount of exercise that they do, they will become more mobile and independent, helping them with their sense of pride about themselves. Getting older should not be a barrier to having choice and control over the quality of one’s life, nor should it be a reason to move out of your own home.Carers must encourage elderly people to make choice about how they want to live and be supported but to also encourage them to accept help when needed, particularly as and when assistance promotes safety.

However they must not be over-protecting, as this can knock people’s confidence and self-esteem. Carers must respect what independence they already have, by allowing them to do as much as possible for themselves and ensuring they have aids and adaptations, modes of transport and assistive technologies that meet their needs for independence, to help them do this. Care givers should also assist in accessing services that support their individual needs, such as; podiatry, speech therapy, physiotherapy, counselling, dietary, occupational health, etc.It is their job as the care giver to ensure that a resident is receiving the care that they require, even if it is as simple as attending a social event, they should not take the easy way out as this ensures the wellbeing and positive attitude of the elderly resident towards the end stages of their life. A care giver should always take into consideration the relevant frameworks, legislation and principles of care when looking after their residents to ensure that the right level of care is given and no laws are broken when caring for them.

The National Service Framework for Older People has been put in place to make sure that every older person will stay as healthy, active and independent as possible, for as long as possible. It is also there to ensure that older people are treated with respect, to prevent unnecessary hospital admission and support early discharge, to reduce long term illness by providing specialist care and to promote healthy lifestyles and independence for those in older age.All of these points are important, as studies have shown; older adults who do physical activity are healthier and less likely to develop serious long-term conditions than those who don’t. Those who live healthy and active lives have improved muscle strength and tone, which means that they are less likely to have an accident or experience falls that could lead to injury. The Human Rights Act covers all human rights and ensures that all individuals have rights on their side and can take legal action against any organisation that disrespects these.

Meaning that if a care giver does not respect the needs of the resident they are caring for, their company can get sued due to their lack of care standards. The act states that everyone has the right to life, meaning that any life support mechanism cannot be withdrawn unless a person is beyond doubt clinically dead. It also says that every person has the right to protection from inhuman and degrading treatment, for example humiliation and inappropriate or rough care.It also prohibits discrimination, meaning that people must not be discriminated against due to their age/ethnicity/gender etc. meaning everyone must be treated equally with the same level of high standards of care no matter who they are.

The Data Protection Act states that you must only collect information that you need for a specific purpose and keep it secure, ensure that it is relevant and up to date to guarantee that no changes in medication or health status goes unnoticed or unaccounted for. You must also only hold as much as you need for as long as you need it and allow the subject of the information to see it upon request.These are all important as it keeps confidentiality about the subject, and allows you to build a trustworthy relationship with them, as they know you know everything about them and have created that bond of empathy. The Care Standards Act ensures that all levels of care are kept at a high standard by making sure that regular training is enforced and certifies that care homes meet the needs and secure the welfare and social inclusion of the people that live there.These standards are put in place to ensure that everyone is treated in an equal way, and that carers should take into consideration that their residents might care from themselves in a different way than another person should care for them.

For example, a resident might choose not to make their bed until they get back into it as they were feeling lazy, but the Care Standards Act says that it would be expected of the carer that the bed would be remade before they leave the bedroom.It is also expected that staff are clean, tidy and fit for work. The use of aprons and gloves is appropriate to avoid cross contamination and is another of the Care Standards expectations. These are important because if a care giver looked scruffy and had poor personal hygiene when caring for someone, and couldn’t be bothered to wear gloves or aprons, the resident may feel uncomfortable and distressed by this, but may also feel that they are unable to say anything.