Helping Clients to Live Independently and Safely

It seems scarcely a week goes by without a horror story being reported in the press about elderly people who have been subjected to revolting forms of abuse.  It seems that no matter where you are - at home or in residential accomodation, if you are elderly,  you are at risk.   And in addition to violence, neglect and doorstep fraudsters which are all too common and well covered in the press, perpetrators find ever more ingenious ways to take advantage of the elderly.

I was reading this week about a couple who befriended their neighbour, a woman in her eighties with health problems living alone without family and few friends.  This "caring" couple started out by befriending their neighbour, helping with her chores, progressing to cancelling her care workers, moving her into their home to "look after her", isolating her from her contacts and eventually persuading  her into signing over her home to them.   Luckily for this lady one of her "real" friends became suspicious, investigated the couple and found that they had a history of preying on elderly women living alone in valuable properties and had managed to acquire three other properties in this way.  The friend reported the case to Social Services, but although they ageed to keep an eye on the lady, there was little they could  do in these circumstances when the lady is grateful to her "friends" and seems to be be acting of her own free will.

We need to be vigilant about our vulnerable elderly neighbours. Care Support Workers can be a great help in looking out for their elderly clients ensuring that they are visited regularly and noting anything unusual  in the day to day activities of the home.  This can give peace of mind to relatives.   They can also be sure that our Care Staff are trustworthy because at SureCare, we take safeguarding of our clients very seriously.  All our Care Support Workers have an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check and two written references from previous employers.

We then  train them to spot any signs of abuse and have robust procedures to ensure that any suspected or actual abuse is reported and acted upon promptly. The director of SureCare also belongs to the Warwickshire Safeguarding Network to keep up to date with developments in safeguarding and cascades information on safeguarding down to all staff. We are constantly vigilant to ensure that all our clients  are able to live full and independent lives in safety. 

If you are a relative of an elderly adult who needs care please see our website for more information on our services: www.surecarewarks.co.uk