Living well in care homes, now and in the future
How can we promote ‘living well’ in care homes for people with dementia or another neurodegenerative condition now, and as provision of residential and nursing home care evolves in the future?
What are we trying to find out?
- What we know about the experiences and needs of people with dementia and neurodegenerative conditions living in care homes
- What ‘living well’ means in the care home context and how we decide whether someone is ‘living well’
- Ways of increasing the potential for ‘living well’ in care homes, including what changes could be achieved effectively and cost-effectively using existing resources
- What care homes might look like in the future and what this means for ‘living well’
Why is this important?
People who move into residential and nursing homes (care homes), and their families, want to experience good quality care and have a good quality of life. We know that quality of care varies. Reports suggest that more than 1 in 5 care homes are rated as inadequate or requiring improvement, with only around 3 in 100 rated outstanding. Meeting basic care needs is essential, but ‘living well’ requires more than this.
Small changes can improve quality of life for care home residents without necessarily costing more. Just talking to residents for a few extra minutes each day can help them feel better and prevent them getting agitated. Improving residents’ well-being helps to avoid crises and emergency hospital admissions. It also means that care staff are more satisfied with their jobs and less likely to leave.
We need to think about the future of care homes. We have a growing ageing population and care providers already struggle to recruit and retain staff. Climate change presents new challenges, like keeping buildings – and residents – cool in extreme heat. Other countries are already looking at this issue. It is time to consider how to put ‘living well’ at the heart of designing care environments.
How are we going to do it?
The project will involve three related areas of work. For each area, we will review the existing evidence published in scientific journals, policy documents and organisational recommendations. We will also consult with our stakeholders.
- We will examine what we know about the experience of residents, and what we mean by ‘living well’ in the care home context and how we measure it.
- We will examine the evidence about what improves residents’ quality of life and staff role satisfaction and retention, and the costs and benefits. We will also explore how evidence-based and cost-effective approaches can be put into practice.
- We will investigate emerging approaches to the design of sustainable care environments which promote ‘living well’ for residents but also respond to future needs, such as the impact of climate change.
Who is involved?
Professor Linda Clare (University of Exeter) is leading the project with colleagues Professor Matthew Prina (Newcastle), Professor Jan Oyebode (Bradford), and Professor Martin Knapp (LSE).
Two experts by experience are part of the core project team. They link the project with our broader Involvement Network.
We will consult with a variety of stakeholders including: the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and arms-length bodies; the Care Quality Commission; providers of social care including care homes, and their managers and staff; training providers; Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and commissioners; local authorities; NHS England; voluntary sector organisations; architects and environmental designers; and, most crucially, people living with dementia or a neurodegenerative condition and their families.
How will we share our findings?
We will
- Prepare three reports
- Present the findings in a webinar
- Present the findings directly to groups involved in the research
- Seek to prepare condition-specific reports jointly with representative organisations
- Publish at least one scientific journal article.