World Watch

Brits fear move into care homes

A study has shown that many members of the British public fear the mental health impact of leaving their homes and moving into an aged care facility, reports Caring Times. A new study of 2,000 homeowners in the United Kingdom has revealed the profound emotional connection people have to their own homes, with the majority (65 per cent) saying they have an unbreakable connection to it while over a third (41 per cent) consider their property to be crucial for their mental health. Over half (58 per cent) said they would be “devastated” if they had to move away to somewhere else.

Residents miss out on Covid shot

Thousands of aged care residents have not received the latest Covid booster as part of the country’s spring vaccination campaign, reports BBC Scotland. More than 6,000 care home residents failed to receive the booster, representing 18.7 per cent of those eligible for the vaccine shot. The news comes as the latest figures show deaths from Covid continue to rise as a new wave – attributed to new variants and waning immunity – sweeps Scotland. A clinical consultant in infectious diseases at the University of Glasgow said: “I think it’s disappointing that the number of people that have taken up the spring booster has declined.”

The cost of informal care

The monetary value of the time informal caregivers in Singapore spend looking after seniors aged 75 years and above is around S$1.28 billion annually – equivalent to about 11 per cent of the government’s expenditure on health care, reports MedicalXpress. Through a study – the first to estimate the monetary value of informal caregiving – researchers found that primary informal caregivers provided on average 33 hours of care each week. Most of the time was spent on activities such as helping the care recipient communicate with others, managing the needs of the care recipient, and providing emotional support.

Taiwan welcomes overseas carers

Taiwan is set to loosen regulations on hiring caregivers, opening the door for more foreigners to meet the rising demand for elder care as the population ages, reports Newsweek. A long-standing evaluation will soon no longer be required for the most vulnerable seniors to receive live-in assistance from overseas workers. Like its East-Asian neighbours, Taiwan is becoming a super-aged society, with people over 65 years old already comprising about 18 per cent of the population. This has led many Taiwanese families to rely on live-in caregivers, mostly from southeast Asian countries like Indonesia to attend to seniors no longer capable of independent living.

Residents vulnerable to power outages

There’s no requirement in Texas that nursing homes and assisted-living facilities keep generators on hand to power air-conditioning after storms, reports The Texas Tribune. When a storm hits Texas, utilities, by law, are supposed to give nursing homes and assisted-living centres the same priority as hospitals when it comes to power restoration. But how that happens and how fast is not specified by the state. There’s also no requirement that the state’s 1,187 nursing facilities and 2,000 assisted-living facilities have generators to power heating and cooling systems. The only requirement is that they have alternative power sources to keep medication refrigerated and lifesaving equipment like oxygen machines up and running.

Lack of facilities puts strain on hospitals

There is an absence of adequate infrastructure for elder care in Cyprus, reports Cyprus Mail. The Health Insurance Organisation – which manages the country’s healthcare system – has highlighted the lack of specialised care facilities, especially for seniors who cannot return home after hospital treatment. This is currently hampering the operation of hospitals around the island nation. Families, the HIO said, either cannot or refuse to transfer them to other facilities, resulting in unnecessary occupancy of hospital beds and delaying the admission and treatment of other patients. Often, senior Cypriots and their families find that the hospital is a more comfortable and safer environment than their own homes.

Creating intergen communities

The Dutch have come up with innovative solutions to tackle its shortage of care workers, reports Euro News. The country is also facing challenges due to its ageing population. Solutions include the creation of intergenerational communities. Such as the Liv-Inn in Hilversum in north Holland. Around 150 people live together – mostly elders, but also students. Among the older residents are high-income retired persons, but also others receiving social benefits. The infirm and the healthy live side by side, the mobile and not-so-mobile – the key phrase is “sharing diversity”. It’s a care-in-the-community model that not only alleviates costs for the state, but also builds bridges between generations.

Aged care sector burgeoning

Thailand’s aged care industry is thriving, reports Bangkok Post. According to data, 13 million people in Thailand were aged 60-plus last year – 20 per cent of the population. The rising age of the population has been attributed to several factors: a decline in the birth rate and increasing longevity resulting from advances in medicine and technology. The country’s ageing population is creating growing demand for services. Last year, there were 708 nursing homes in 55 provinces, with the number increasing by 25 per cent each year on average since 2018. Most homes are in the Bangkok metro region, which presents opportunity for entrepreneurs to enter other markets.

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