There is a lack of trust today for the care of the elderly
Three in four of us don’t trust care homes to look after our relatives properly
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 8:29 AM on 8th August 2011
Three in four Britons plan to look after their elderly relatives themselves because they don’t trust homes to care for them properly.
Eight in ten would rather their quality of life be affected than that of their parents or grandparents, according to a poll of 2,000 men and women whose parents are beginning to struggle to live in their own houses.
Two-thirds of the women surveyed said they would feel they were letting a loved one down by putting them in a home.
Lacking trust: A survey has found that three quarters of Britons do not think their relatives will be properly looked after in care homes (file picture)
Half of those who were parents said they felt uneasy letting their child go to a care home to visit relatives because it would be distressing for them.
A quarter said that they worried they wouldn’t be able to visit their relatives as much as they’d like if they had to go into a home.
The revelation of the scale of concern follows a BBC exposé of barbaric treatment of patients at a Bristol home for people with learning disabilities.
Panorama secretly filmed ‘carers’ at Winterbourne View slapping, kicking, punching, dragging and taunting the vulnerable.
The shocking footage preyed on the minds of many who took part in the survey by live-in care service providers Helping Hands, while others had heard horror stories from friends.
Many will also have been put off by the recent collapse of care home company Southern Cross, which caused distress to elderly people and their families.
Fears: Anthony Dalby, a full-time carer for his father Michael, says he would be ‘devastated’ if he had to go into care
Lindsey Edgehill, of Helping Hands, said: ‘Everyone wants what’s best for their relatives.
‘But with so much negative publicity around the care sector, particularly care homes, many people are struggling to find the right support they feel happy with when it comes to the care of their ageing relatives.
‘The reality is that shouldering the burden yourself is not always the best option for you or your loved ones.’
One in five of those surveyed said they were already caring for a relative, spending on average twelve and a half hours each week taking parents or grandparents to hospital appointments, keeping their houses clean, helping manage their finances and cooking for them.
The charity Carers UK estimates 6.4million Britons have care duties, a rise of 9 per cent since 2001.
Anthony Dalby, from Blackpool, is a full time carer for his 70-year-old father Michael, who relies on an oxygen tank to breathe, as well as a single father to his 11-year-old son.
Mr Dalby, 38, said his father would be ‘devastated’ if he had to go into a care home. He added: ‘A care home is just something that I would never consider. I just don’t like them.
‘I have heard stories about how people treat the residents and I just wouldn’t want my dad in that situation.’
Michelle Mitchell, of charity Age UK, said: ‘Deciding how to help a relative who is no longer able to live safely in their home can be a difficult and emotional decision for all the family.
‘However most residential homes provide a good standard of care.’
