The impact of coronavirus on older people and their families

As 2020 draws to a close I, like so many others, am reflecting on the experience of older people and their families during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Public services for older people have long been in crisis, with funding at the very heart of it.

Way back in January we were waiting expectantly for the outcome of yet another green paper seeking once more to address the question – how should long term care for older people be funded?

And then Coronavirus hit ! Inevitably the green paper has been kicked into the long grass whilst all efforts have focused on survival.

The Coronavirus Act directed NHS, Local Authorities and The Care Quality Commission to reconfigure services to save lives and protect the most vulnerable.

We have seen:

  • Thousands of lives saved.
  • The nation come together to clap for carers
  • Captain Sir Tom Moore inspire the nation to get walking

But sadly we have also seen:

  • Families unable to visit their loved ones as care homes strive to protect their residents from infection.
  • Older people isolated in their own homes.
  • Essential support services for older people and their carers in the community close.
  • Interruption to non coronavirus virus healthcare services.
  • The impact this has had on the nation’s physical and mental health.

I feel privileged to have been able to:

  • Give clarity where there was doubt about hospital discharge process
  • Find the right care solutions when this was uncertain
  • Successfully challenge funding decisions by the NHS
  • Listen and reassure when anxiety and doubt took hold
  • Educate and inform via professional webinars

Thankfully the light is now at the end of the tunnel with the roll out of the much awaited vaccine and there is optimism that life might just start returning to normal during 2021.

The focus can then return to ensuring that older people receive quality care in an environment of their own choosing and are fairly assessed for the financial support that they may be entitled to.

Never before has independent care advice been more valuable and I thank my clients and professional contacts for putting their faith in me.

Happy Christmas to you all and, this year in particular, don’t let’s forget to focus on what we are blessed to have rather than what might have been.

 

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