THE Evening News investigation into conditions at an Edinburgh care home have not revealed any instances of cruelty, heartlessness or willful neglect, but our findings are depressing nonetheless.
Medical advances mean that most of us will live to a ripe old age, with life expectancy in the Lothians into the 80s for women and late 70s for men, but that also means that a growing number will need round-the-clock care as their long lives draw to
a close.
What our probe has shown is that the system for looking after the ever-increasing population of elderly and infirm – designed at a time when far fewer lived much beyond 70 and when war ensured about 200,000 young British men never saw their 50s – falls far below what most people would expect, despite the best efforts of those whose job it is to look after them.
What we found at the Ashley Court Nursing Home in Morningside was far from unusual, but the sad truth is that in such institutions there is little opportunity to give the residents the kind of care and attention most people would hope to experience when they reach their final days.
The daily grind of just making sure the bare essentials of changing, feeding and washing are carried out means there is little time for real human engagement – something even in the short period our reporter worked in the home found to be so beneficial for the residents, even those with advanced dementia.
Of course, there can be no excuse for care homes running out of protective gloves or leaving untrained staff alone to look after over 20 people – allegations which the home denies but which will now be the subject of a care commission inquiry. But it is the broader picture of life in a home which does not contravene guidelines that readers should find concerning.
None of us wants to see out our days alone and a burden, where carers are simply too busy to do anything but the basics, but it is something that is not being properly addressed.
Two years ago the Evening News brought about genuine change through our investigation into care for the elderly in the orthopaedic ward at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and NHS Lothian was quick to acknowledge and act upon our findings. By comparison, that was easy to address.
As our series of stories on the problems at the Cockenzie nursing home have shown, the issues of standards and funding are extremely complex, but how we care for the elderly, not just deal with them, is an issue that will not go away.
The full article contains 450 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
