Covid Care Home Crisis means 40% of Brits would choose to personally care for elderly parents

New research has revealed that over 40% of Europeans would choose to have an elderly parent live with them today versus putting them in a care home, with over a third of children admitting they are ‘frightened’ by the idea of placing their parents into a home.

The research was commissioned by Kepler Vision Technologies in the wake of the Covid care home crisis, which has prompted scrutiny of the way that patients are being treated, many people are reviewing their options regarding how to care for sick and elderly parents. 

Elderly person

Over a third (35%) of UK residents with elderly parents admit to being frightened by the idea of placing their parents into a care home with concerns ranging from the transmission of COVID 19, to loneliness, and fears of them falling over alone and sustaining an injury.

Public Versus Private Care

Despite these concerns, when questioned about the perception of public sector care homes, 60% of people with parents in care believe that the quality is improving, compared to 35% of people who don’t have a parent in care demonstrating a deep divide between those who have experience of the care sector and those who don’t. This also holds true for private care homes, with 49% of respondents seeing improvements in quality, versus 32% without a parent in a care home. The most commonly cited reasons for improvements being better care staff (50% of respondents) and better monitoring systems (49%).

Patient Safety Scares

Dr Harro Stokman, CEO of Kepler Vision Technologies said: “Skilled carers remain the single most important element of the care home industry, but the last year and the ongoing staffing crisis have put them under enormous pressure. No-one should have to worry that their parents are getting anything but the very best care, and it is encouraging to see people recognising the importance of monitoring systems in ensuring that. The best way to make sure that both staff and residents are looked after properly is to seek out tech solutions that minimise the bureaucratic strain on staff and maximise the amount of face-time that they can have with residents.”

The Kepler Night Nurse is designed to alert relevant staff or carers immediately to elderly people that have experienced a fall, are in physical distress or having difficulty getting out of bed – ensuring that they get assistance within minutes not hours, reducing the chances of injury and health complications.

Where monitoring systems like motion sensors, bed mats, and wearables are unable to distinguish between a resident in need and or a cat jumping on the bed, Kepler Night Nurse only creates an alert when a resident needs assistance – meaning that carers only intervene when necessary. This reduces the amount of time spent checking on patients and frees up staff time and resources to focus on their core role of providing in-person care.

 

This article also featured on Health Care Global and the Care Home Professional