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Elderly visited by up to 50 carers a year due to care service cuts

19th December 2014

Elderly people who rely on receiving care in their own homes are finding that they can be visited by up to 50 different carers a year due to recent service cuts. The vital services that help the elderly remain independent at home, alongside the use of mobility stairlifts and walk-in baths, is receiving a lack of funding, leaving a number of people poorly cared for or without care at all.

It is thought that more than half of those aged over 85 are receiving no help at all with daily chores such as cooking, cleaning and washing. Many are also now receiving shortened visits, which can be detrimental to older people in that care staff may be rushing jobs they should be spending more time doing.

Overworked care staff are receiving poor wages

It is thought that up to 800,000 people are currently seeking care, with those already receiving help being provided with rushed services in short 15-minute slots. A large number report seeing a different carer every week, which can mean up to 50 different carers are experienced by one elderly person in the space of a year, and this is often due to a high turnover of care workers. Care staff turnover is currently 22%, which is double the national average rate.

Many care staff say that this is due to the poor pay that many care workers receive, which is also in turn creating low morale amongst those that continue with the career. Many are on zero-hours contracts, with approximately 220,000 care workers, which is almost a third, being paid minimum wage.

This vital care is what helps to relieve the pressure on hospitals, and helps those that need mobility aids to continue living independently at home. However, spending cuts are making this increasingly difficult and elderly people are beginning to feel the effects.

Image Credit: Xavi Talleda (Flickr.com)

 

This news article is from Handicare UK. Articles that appear on this website are for information purposes only and are up to date as of the time of publishing