A contribution to the Middlesex multidisciplinary conference on Water which looked at the debates from a health and social care perspective concerning the quality of care in relation to the basic commodities of nutrition, fluid and compassionate practice

Hafford-Letchfield, T.

English

Middlesex University Research Repository

“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink” The constant conundrum of older peoples care  Dr Trish Hafford-Letchfield   Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, Francis (2013) Hungry to be heard (Age Concern, 2006) Dignity and nutrition inspection programme, Care Quality Commission, 2012 Human Rights in Healthcare, DoH, 2008 Ombudsman Report, 2006 Treating patients and service users with respect, dignity and compassion, DoH, 2013 ‘Compassion in practice for nurses, midwives  and care staff’  DoH, 2012 Human Rights in Healthcare: A Framework for local action, DoH, 2008 Hospitals on the edge? The time for action, Royal College of Physicians, 2012      Water is vital to life        Care settings should be  somewhere where an older person enjoys living and staff enjoy working Not just a risk factor in recovery but an abuse of human rights • Fluid deprivation as a symbol for system failures • ‘Unoticing’ environments • Ageing population as a game-changer • Despite considerable guidance, protocols and action plans, these issues persist?????    Human Rights Articles HRA • Article 2: The right to life  • Article 3: The right not to be tortured or treated in an inhuman way or degrading way -   Inhuman treatment means causing severe mental or physical suffering   Relevant issues in care Malnutrition and dehydration in care settings Physical or mental abuse  Over medication, inappropriate medication Use of physical restraint Soiled linen, clothing Leaving trays without helping patients to eat where they are not able to feed themselves Separation of partners and lack of intimacy Lack of dignity and confidentiality From Dennis and Allen, (2011) Speaking from care Contextual  • High thresholds and stringent eligibility criteria with insufficient investment in prevention  • Dilemmas of how failing services are supported • Ageism, structured dependency (Townsend,  2006) and revolving debates on the cost rather than the assets from an increasingly ageing population. • Participation and citizenship Professional • Persistent evidence that Older People are the least preferred group that SW students want to work with.  • Neglect is the most unreported form of abuse within safeguarding policies and practice  • Challenges and dilemmas in older people’s care are more frequently framed as  problems of inadequate or inappropriate service provision, poor service standards, or difficulties of multiagency joint working,  morality.  Moving to the edge of new frontiers?  1. How can education and research at Middlesex equip professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills and values to work with the changing needs of a diverse ageing population?  Business ethics  2. To what extent are education and research equipping care professionals to work effectively with older people within the current practice context and what cross disciplinary knowledge and research might we draw  upon?  ARTS Gerontology References • Dennis, M., Allen, J. (2011) Food and drink – the basic requirements of life.  Journal of Adult Protection, 13(2) pp 167-173 • Townsend, P. (2006) ‘Policies for the aged in the 21st century: more ‘structured dependency’ or the realisation of human rights?’ Ageing and Society, 26(2):161-80.  

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink”: the constant conundrum of older peoples care

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"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink”: the constant conundrum of older peoples care

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