A report has been launched to summarise the findings of more than two thousand reviews left by relatives on The Good Care Guide website. The site works like a reviews portal that families can log in to and make their opinions known about particular care facilities or care agencies.

Quoted in the Chester Chronicle

A study of reviews left on feedback website the Good Care Guide showed that many people viewed elderly care as needing improvement, with nearly three quarters (71%) of negative reviews on the site directed towards care provided by homecare agencies and care homes.

Unfortunately many families don’t have the time to be able to see to their own relatives when they are older and so they are placed in residential homes or have daily calls from a care agency to provide support with daily living tasks like toileting, medication or cooking meals.

For those people who perhaps can still manage to live independently, especially in the Chester area, then mobility equipment such as that provided by Castle Comfort Centre can make the difference between caring for oneself or being looked after by an agency.

Helpful items like stairlifts, riser recliner chairs, commodes, bathing adaptations or wheelchairs are the little things that can help a person maintain their independence in life and avoid being a burden to their relatives or being at risk from sub-standard care from a poorly trained carer.

The report stated that the majority of complaints had been about in-the-home care and Good Care Guide Director Denise Burke had this to say about it.

“Worst rated by families on Good Care Guide has been homecare. These services have perhaps been squeezed most by local authority spending cuts. Many complain about 15-minute appointments, about different carers turning up or carers who are poorly trained and paid.”

 

Have you found that a stairlift, riser recliner chair or adjustable bed has made a big difference to you in being able to manage living at home? Perhaps you have a word or two to say to recommend a good carer in your community? Let us know in the comments.