New report on caring for an ageing population

Hello.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) have today published a major report on the future of elderly social care in the UK. It states that the number of elderly people requiring home support will eventually outstrip the number of family members willing or able to offer assistance.

The factors which have contributed to this looming crisis are all too easy to identify; population dispersal, smaller families, longer lifespans are all elements of a very complex and expensive problem. The report also highlights the increase in older carers who want to look after their own spouses at home. This is something that my own family is currently dealing with. My own dad insisted on looking after my mum at home, even when her dementia was quite well advanced. My mum died two years ago and my dad (now 85) is still living at home. The reason he's able to be there is partly down to the support he receives from myself and my sisters.
Our situation is typical of many thousands of others in the UK which the report sheds a light on.

So the full report is here and the BBC's reporting of the issue is here.

As always, if you want to use it in assignments, you'll need to reference it correctly so ask for help if required.

New scheme proposed to increase 'front-line social workers'

I nearly didn't blog about this because I didn't want any social work students to misconstrue my intentions.

So can I first state (not for the first time) that anyone prepared to come to UoB and do the course and be a social worker has my unadulterated admiration. Is that plain enough? Good.

With that in mind I thought I'd ask you for your opinion on this. Read it?

Just to give you some background details, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) who've published this report is a think-tank charged with coming up with radical solutions to perceived problems in different areas broadly related to public policy.

The full IPPR report on the proposed changes required to social work is available here.

I would be very interested on whether you think the educational standard of social workers is one of the issues effecting the perceived low status of the profession.