Care in crisis: North East Christians act

Members of churches in the North East of England, concerned about Care Home closures in the area, came together at a special meeting on February 11 at Sunderland Free Church.

Nearly everyone present was involved in caring for elderly members of their own churches, many of whom are either housebound or in residential care, as well as relatives and family members.

The meeting was called after the shock of the closure of Pilgrim Homes' Brackloon House in Seaham. It was a much-loved Home run by Pilgrim Homes, one of Britain's oldest charities for elderly Christians. 'You don't miss something till you've lost it', and 'Something must be done', and 'We must do something about it' were shared reactions at the meeting.

Brackloon House

The closure of Brackloon House did not take place in isolation. Many homes in the North East and across the rest of England and Wales have closed in recent months. The situation in County Durham is particularly worrying. Last May the Co. Durham Care Homes Association, an organisation representing some 3,500 independent care beds, in an effort to support the few remaining independent care homes in the County, lobbied MPs and began to seek a Judicial Review in its dispute with Durham County Council (DCC). The Association had discovered that the DCC was paying its own, council-run care homes in excess of £130 per week more per resident than to independent care homes. The Association's Chairman, Mr. John Wrigley, said the situation was 'rapidly becoming desperate'.

The same thing is happening throughout the whole country. It has reached a point where the average amount paid per resident per hour is £1.65 - well below the cost of care. The Daily Telegraph reported a few months ago that there is now one funding rule for independent and charity-run homes, and another for those run by local councils, with local authorities paying themselves significantly more. Over the last 30 months more than 1,500 homes have shut their doors with the loss of at least 36,000 residential places. Closures are across the board and include private, council-owned and charity homes.

The whole landscape of care for the elderly is being ravaged by government policy, and the withdrawal of funding for residential care for elderly people. Most of us will only fully appreciate the effect of these new rules and regulations when an elderly relation or friend in the church looks to the care system for help.

Pressures

It is important that Christians recognise the issues facing the care sector following government changes, as well as the pressures on those who care for the elderly.

The Registered Homes Act 1984 that currently regulates residential and nursing care is being replaced in April 2002 with the New Care Standards Act 2000. The new regulations and national minimum standards cover such issues as minimum room sizes; door widths, en-suite facilities and the number of shared rooms allowed. The Act also insists on a higher proportion of qualified care staff per home.

For many care home owners the cost of meeting these changes is out of their reach - they operate in older buildings that just cannot be adapted further. And if the cost of modifying buildings is not daunting enough, in most cases the building changes themselves would reduce the number of residents the home can take, so it would be unable to pay its way. Despite protests from many experts, the government has refused funding to meet these extra costs and has said it will compulsorily close down homes that fail to meet the new standards. This emphasis on buildings and regulations totally ignores the fact that it is the quality of care, not the size of the rooms or the state of the building that makes so many homes over-subscribed.

Only for some

As government policy tightens, residential care becomes only available to the elderly who are 'highly dependent'. Because more elderly people are being classified as 'low' or 'medium' dependency they will be kept in their own homes for much longer than they and their families would wish. Only the elderly assessed as 'highly dependent' will be funded by local authorities in residential care.

Unlike residential care the 'domiciliary care packages' now on offer to the elderly provide a programme of personal care in their own homes, but deny them the secure caring environment that is needed to cope with the unexpected. Already since these measures have been put into force, stories are circulating about carers calling at scheduled times to get old people up in the morning or put them to bed at night, and discovering a person has collapsed or fallen and been unable to call for help.

Clearly, elderly people who would previously have accessed residential care will now be classified by social services as 'low dependency' and will stay in their homes for much longer. In these circumstances, the support of families, friends and the church will be increasingly important.

Christian care

The Chief Executive of Pilgrim Homes, Peter Tervet, spoke at the meeting in Sunderland, encouraging Christians to care for those who are 'of the household of faith' (Galatians 6.10). He said that it is also necessary to seek the Lord and pray for a practical response to the changed circumstances that are facing thousands of elderly people.

John Denman, Vice Chairman of Pilgrim Homes, reminded the group that Pilgrim Homes, which was founded in 1807, has cared for the elderly long before the NHS was formed, and adapted to many changes over the years. In its early days, the Society first helped elderly Christians by giving them small pensions, and visiting widows in their homes. Residential care was introduced as the work grew. It is vital that Christians respond and pray for the current situation, especially in areas where Christian care homes have been lost, or are under threat.

The closure of Pilgrim Homes' Brackloon House has left the North East bereft of a care home dedicated to elderly Christians, and the present crisis is spurring Christians in the region to establish a local support group for the Society. The 'North East Auxiliary' will plan and pray for a future home in the region, as well as respond wisely to the current needs of elderly Christians, whether they are in their own homes or in secular residential care. It will be part of a network of Pilgrim Home auxiliaries throughout the country. There are 16 other auxiliary groups and nine residential care homes in the Midlands, the South, and in South Wales. The auxiliaries support the Society, both in prayer and by raising awareness of the work and funds among evangelical churches.

Unaware

Many Christians are unaware of the extent of the crisis, yet investing time and money in providing care for the elderly could be seen as a sound investment in their own future. The population of the UK is ageing rapidly, with the number of individuals aged 85 years and over set to at least triple by 2056. As well as disabilities brought on by frailty and illness in old age, an estimated one in five over the age of 80 will suffer from dementia, or some form of mental infirmity.

God has made it clear in the Scriptures that the elderly are to be honoured, revered even, and certainly to be taken care of. Pilgrim Homes' key Scripture is Matthew 25.40, where the Lord says that those who care for his disadvantaged children are, in fact, caring for him.