Loneliness is one of the biggest fears for older people today. But this is nothing new. One inspirational man who recognised how loneliness affected the older generation back in the 1950s was Richard Carr-Gomm who resigned his commission in the Coldstream Guards to became an unpaid home help and learned about loneliness among the old and vulnerable.
He was determined to help them overcome their social isolation and used his £250 Army gratuity to buy a house in Bermondsey where he installed four old people, installing himself as housekeeper, and managing the house with the help of volunteers. His work soon became well known and he later bought more properties as demand rapidly escalated. In the space of two years, Richard opened six houses in Bermondsey, housing 26 older people. That was the founding of Abbeyfield, a leading UK provider of care homes, named after their second home in Abbeyfield Road, London.
Today Abbeyfield has over 700 houses across the UK, 80 care homes and two nursing homes helping people live independent lives, benefiting from close links with volunteers and local communities. It also has homes in 16 countries around the world – all guided by the original principles and helping many thousands of older people. Richard has quite rightly been bestowed with many honours in recognition of his sefless social reform work.
Now, 54 years after its founding, Abbeyfield is planning ahead to meet the future needs of our elderly population who have higher expectations as living standards have risen. It conducted research to help guide its future strategy and £140 million development and refurbishment programme. It’s quite transformational.
The strategy launch is being held tomorrow in the House of Lords. It is kindly being hosted by Baroness Neuberger and includes two very influential speakers, Stephen Dorrell, Chair of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, and Baroness Greengross, an active campaigner for older people and Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre. I am thrilled to also learn that Paul Burstow is also attending, the Minister for Social Care. I’ve been assisting PR agency Golley Slater as a political adviser for the launch and have been delighted to work on this brief because I passionately believe that our increasing elderly population deserves the very best opportunities for care and companionship to combat loneliness and that a stimulating environment is vital for prolonging the well being of residents in care homes.
As Abbeyfield CEO Paul Allen says: “Abbeyfield have been implementing what we now know as The Big Society for many years already.”
I think a ‘borrow a grandparent agency’ would be a good idea.
In my experience Sure Start would provide vetted/approved people to play with your children whilst you did other things. If you are ill, particularly if you are a single mum with no family nearby, someone willing to chat to YOU whilst you do the ironing, or just run the occasional errand if you don’t feel well enough to go to the POst Office say, would be a great help. But there is NO facility to provide this. The ONLY possibility is to declare to Social Services that you are unable to care for your family and risk them being taken into care. How much better it would be for a grandparent agency to be available. This would be great if you were feeling less mobile after a difficult birth for example – someone to chat to and even pop to the Post office or iron a shirt. And when you’re more able-bodied how great for the older person to be remembered at Xmas, and for the children to have that older contact. The usual fears and difficulties with any stranger to a family are there, but I think it would be a good idea. You see not all families bother to visit their Aged P’s – they might live miles away. And there might be a young family whose parents live miles away that would love to borrow a grandparent, as it were. Just a thought.
I visited several Abbeyfield homes when I worked at Lambeth Palace – the Archbishop was an Abbeyfield patron. I was very impressed with the high levels of care and the commitment to treating all the residents as individuals. I hope the launch goes really well.
As we get poorer and multi-generational households make more economic sense this will become less of a problem.
But where do families come into this equation Ellee ?
Why do so many people have no love or support from their kin folk ?
Why should it all be down to ” others ” to look after Granny ?
Why are so many families so utterly selfish ?
What does all this tell us about society or indeed the British attitude to respect for their own .
Too many people only think of themselves and their quality of life ( and how much money they can bring in )Granny is someone elses responsibility.
Electro Kevin is correct .
Id rather be lonely than in a ” care home “
In Germany they tend to build another storey on the house and live above the in-laws. It works well for them. Having met a few prospective in-laws I can see why they’re in a home.
Disaffected – I should also add that it is foolish of parents to underestimate the importance of their sons/daughter in-laws. It is common for them to treat them badly, with disrespect and demand that they ‘know their place’ in the early years. This stores up bad feeling for later in life and explains why there are so many old people left on their own.
Old people can often be rude and right muck rakers. It’s not always the case that it’s down to simple neglect on the children’s part.
In an ideal world it would be wonderful if elderly relatives could live in harmony with their families, and I certainly share those views too and would always choose that path as I love and enjoy the company of my mother and pa-in-law. However, someimes you cannot provide the level of care they need if their condition deteriorates and care homes may have to be considered.
But moving into a care home need not be considered a last option if the environment is stimulating and cheerful and enhances their quality of life. As Sheila has observed following visits to Abbeyfield homes, they offer “high levels of care and the commitment to treating all the residents as individuals”.
Abbeyfield is also international and we have an Abbeyfield home right here in the Comox Valley that has been operating for a number of years. Nice piece looking at a topic few address, elder loneliness.
Lovely photo of you on the cover of the supplement, I might add.