[A version of this item features in Dementia: the Latest Evidence Newsletter (Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust), Volume 3 Issue 4, November 2012].
Summary
The“My Home Life: Promoting Quality of Life in Care Homes” report summarises a three-year action research study. This research was conducted jointly by Age UK, City University, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Dementia UK and investigated issues around the promotion of greater quality of life for care homes residents.
This report summarises lessons from best practice in care homes, particularly regarding the promotion of “voice, choice and control” for older people and concerning the development of leadership in the care home sector. This study indicates:
- Positive relationships in care homes enable staff to listen to older people, appreciate individual needs and promote greater voice, choice and control.
- Relationship-centred care is often central to examples of best practice.
- Care home managers are pivotal in promoting relationships between older people, staff and relatives.
- Care home providers and statutory agencies need to consider how their attitudes, practices and policies influence practice on the ground. Inappropriate policy can create undue pressure and unnecessary paperwork; ultimately reducing the capacity of care homes to respond to the needs of older people, it is alleged.
- Negative stereotypes of care homes can impact adversely on the confidence of staff and managers.
Reference
Owen. T. Meyer, J. [and] Cornell, M. [et al] (2012). My home life: promoting quality of life in care homes. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, October 2012.
There is also an Executive Summary.
