Adult day care centre provision in the community.
There is a huge shift in the way social care is delivered with emphasis on keeping people at home for as long as possible. This shift away from placing people in care homes is likely to have a considerable impact on privately run care homes who may find that their bed occupancy rates fall as a result. Whilst I support people's choice to remain at home the reality for most people and their families is that the resources in the community are poor with very limited choice open to them particularly in rural areas putting added strain on the cared for person and their families.
For people living at home and their carer's the right care and support is crucial. Good quality day care and short stay care (respite) are two service's which help to support people at home. Personal budgets goes some way in addressing this by allowing budget holders to manager their decisions, their services and their finances and enables them to access the right kind of support.
Day centres in some parts of the country have seen a significant drop in referral rates from Social Services with attendance levels at an all time low. Day centre managers depend on a high attendance rates to make the centres financially viable and many are unable to cover the cost of a person attending for day care. In order to continue to operate many charitable organizations need to carry our fund raising activities to ensure the success of their care provision and to balance their books. The benefits of attending a club or day centre are far reaching with the evidence suggesting that when a person feels part of their community and valued they are less likely to suffer from depression and feel socially isolated. In addition and equally important it gives carer's a well earned break and therefore helps reduce the likelihood of carer breakdown or stress.
Day centre providers such as Age Concern and Age UK need to be supported by Social Services and the communities they serve to ensure their continued success, they offer an excellent service and are highly valued by the people they serve.
