Nearly half of Brits want elderly parents living with them rather than in a care home
New research by Kepler Vision Technologies has revealed that over 40 per cent of Brits 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 the firm in the wake of the COVID care home crisis, which has prompted scrutiny of the way that patients are being treated.
Approximately 35 per cent 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.
Despite these concerns, when questioned about the perception of public sector care homes, 60 per cent of people with parents in care believe that the quality is improving, compared to 35 per cent 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 per cent of respondents seeing improvements in quality, versus 32 per cent without a parent in a care home. The most commonly cited reasons for improvements being better care staff and better monitoring systems.
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.”
Kepler are specialists in computer vision monitoring technology, with its Night Nurse solution designed to alert relevant staff or carers immediately to elderly people that have experienced a fall, ensuring that they get assistance within minutes not hours, reducing the chances of further injury and health complications.
The survey comes after charity Age UK reported that living through the fear, enforced isolation and inactivity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has sharply accelerated the care needs of significant numbers of older people.
