“I’ve got my independence back by moving.”
Putting an end to isolation
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), more than half of all people aged 75 and over live on their own. These people can feel vulnerable and isolated from the rest of society. In fact, Age UK reports that one in 20 older people are extremely lonely, and only six per cent leave their homes at least once a week.
Although supported accommodation supplies service users with their own house, there are also communal areas, such as a garden, lounge and laundry room. This creates a sense of community, but, at the same time, gives residents the freedom to decide when to socialise, and when to be alone. They can stay in their own space, sit in the garden and have a chat, or play games in the communal lounge. Alternatively, they can go out to meet up with family and friends in town. They are completely free to come and go as they please, without the restrictions that a care home might introduce.
Lily lives in supported accommodation provided by Centra Support and she appreciates that she gets to spend her time as she wishes. “I’m gregarious, but at the same time I like my own skin,” she remarks. “I’m quite happy here on my own.”
It’s clear that most of us want the same things in old age that we’ve enjoyed throughout our lives – respect, dignity and, perhaps most importantly, independence.
Supported accommodation empowers people to retain all these things and gives them somewhere safe that they can call home.
Seven years ago, Lily lost her son. “If you saw a photograph of me seven years ago, you wouldn’t believe it was me now,” she told Centra. “I just felt unhappy.”
Lily is one of the many thousands of older people whose lives have been turned around by living in supported accommodation.
“I think coming here was the making of me. Gradually I started pulling myself together,” she explained.
Now, instead of being on her own, Lily spends her time playing backgammon with friends, knitting and doing what makes her happy. Lily has total independence, with the added benefit of having friends nearby and the knowledge that she is safe and secure. All thanks to supported accommodation.
Challenging the stigma
Care homes are often unfairly stigmatised by the general public. The Commission of Residential Care report by Demos shows that the public sees care settings as places of frailty and illness. The reality is that the care industry is full of empowering, personalised, high-quality care, which is supplied to more than 450,000 older and working-age disabled people living in residential homes.
Demos notes that public perception of residential care is that older people lose their independence, but the majority of people go on to lead better and fuller lives because of the extra care they receive - they don’t have to give up their freedom.
In supported accommodation, people like Lily are able to come and go as they please. They cook for themselves, clean up after themselves and make their own friendship groups. This is a contrast to care homes, which tend to cater for older people who are unable to carry out daily tasks, such as taking their medication and grocery shopping.
Empowering independence
When asked by Demos what the three most important things would be to them later in life should they need support, people overwhelmingly put retaining their independence first.
Staying close to friends and family came second, and living somewhere safe and easy to maintain ranked third.
Even though the people Demos questioned were not yet old enough to be placed in supported accommodation, they knew that keeping their freedom was key to living a full and happy life.
Having someone to look after them was seen as the least important thing to have in old age, reflecting that people wish to look after themselves for the foreseeable future. At the same time, people crave security, and supported accommodation can satisfy both those needs. There’s always a warden on site that can be contacted in emergencies, as well as an alarm system should a resident fall in the bath or require help. If they’re at home on their own, they don’t have an assurance that someone will be able to help them in an emergency. In a care home, the care they receive is around the clock, which some people may feel they don’t need. People in supported accommodation don’t feel vulnerable, but they still feel independent, which is exactly why people like Lily make the choice.
“I wanted sheltered accommodation for the simple reason I don’t want to be looked after,” she explained to Centra. “I look after myself, I’m too independent.”
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