healthmedicinet

A survey by the charity today discloses that one in three of those with
dementia had received visits from at least 10 different care workers in the
last six months.

One in 10 saw at least 20 workers while three per cent of those polled said
their loved ones had received care from more than 40 different care workers
during the period.

Experts said services had been “cut to the bone” leading to poor continuity of
care, which was “exremely distressing and disorienting” for those suffering
from dementia.

They also said the findings, from a poll of 100 carers, were likely to
underestimate the scale of the picture, because many of those without a care

without a carer were likely to be far more reliant on a succession of social
services staff.

Charities suggested that during their years with dementia, the average person
could see hundreds of different care workers.

George McNamara, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Society said families were
often left to pick up the pieces when staff disappeared without warning,
while vulnerable people were left even more confused by visits from a
succession of unfamiliar workers.

He said: “ Over the average dementia journey some people could see literally
hundreds of different care workers for shorter visits. This kind of conveyor
belt care cannot be right.”

Mr McNamara said good care meant building a relationship with the person with
dementia and understanding individual needs, which was undermined by the use
of a succession of different workers.

Charities said staff had so little time during visits that some pensioners
were forced to chose between a cup of tea or being helped to the toilet.

Experts said high staff turnover in social care, poor planning, and
increasingly constrained budgets meant many dementia sufferers could expect
to receive care from hundreds of different workers during their time with
the condition.

They also raised concerns that confused elderly people are being cared for by
poorly trained workers, and in some cases by staff with poor grasp of
English.

One in five home care workers was born abroad, and research suggests that an
extra 3,000 foreign workers will need to be recruited every year until 2030
to take jobs which many UK workers reject.

Official figures show staff turnover for home helps and other homecare workers
has reached 28 per cent a year, with one in ten leaving their jobs because
they were dismissed for providing poor care.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said: “It is deeply saddening to
see yet more research that underlines the true crisis in care where services
have been stripped to the very bone and care staff stretched to their
limits. People living with dementia can often be in a very vulnerable state
and a lack of continuity can be extremely distressing and disorienting for
them as well as complicating their care.”

“Home care needs to be focussed on caring for, and listening to the individual
rather than just rushing through a list of tasks especially when caring for
people with dementia, who may suffer from confusion.

She said care of the elderly was now “on the verge of collapse” because of
insufficient funding.

Many councils have become increasingly reliant on services provided by
agencies, some on zero hours contracts, so that they are paid less than the
minium wage.

Care workers who visit vulnerable people in their homes say they are
increasingly forced to cram tasks such as bathing, feeding and cleaning into
ever tighter schedules.

Figures obtained by Leonard Cheshire, the largest voluntary sector provider of
disabled care, found that two thirds of councils now use 15-minute visits,
up 15 per cent on five years ago.

Last year the Government commissioned a review into the use of the visits,
amid fears that some welfare checks on the most vulnerable are now being
carried out in as little as five minutes in some cases.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “People with dementia and their
families need to know who is responsible for their care and how it is being
coordinated – that’s why we are bringing back named GPs for vulnerable
elderly people so that they know exactly who is accountable.”

He said the Government was committed to improving dementia care and had
created a £3.8bn better care fund to improve access to services, plus a £90
million package for improved diagnosis.

The Telegraph is supporting new awards by the Alzheimer’s
Society, sponsored by Lloyds Bank, to celebrate the efforts of
individuals, businesses and communities which take the greatest strides.

Entries will close on Friday 28 March. To enter please check eligibility
criteria at www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiafriendlyawards