Conclusions
- The personal development of frail and dependent older people through learning opportunities is largely being ignored. Their individuality and potential is not acknowledged.
- Where activities are beginning to happen in private sector institutions it is often because there is a dawning realisation that such engagement reduces dependency and the concomitant costs and is also an effective marketing tool.
- Whilst funding is the most commonly quoted barrier by many institutions to making provision, several of those consulted felt the need for attitudinal change to be more important than more resources.
- Any meaningful improvement in care provision that enshrines learning and personal development requires dialogue between various sectors and agencies – in particular, those in health, housing, social care and education. However this joined up approach is only beginning to touch care in later life. The multi-sectoral approach currently lacks co-ordination, rationale and planned funding.
- There is a lack of common understanding of the terms used to describe older people in care settings, and some of the issues discussed here. This confusion over terms may prevent or delay the development of collaborative services that enhance the personal development of older people in care settings.
- Equally, with the provision of activities coming from so many different agencies, there is little agreement on standards, assessment, qualifications and training of staff delivering activities.
- Curriculum development has to be sensitive to cultural and religious factors. The curriculum - as planned and subsequently delivered – is only infrequently subject to any rigorous evaluation.
- In many institutional settings where the curriculum is delivered by care staff, they have little training to do so. Similarly, for many activity organisers, the entertainment of the resident is seen by their managers to be their responsibility alone, and not within the remit of other care staff. Learning activity may be seen as an 'add-on' exercise, with the delivery and learning outcomes not being shared with any of the staff, volunteers or residents families.
- In some day care settings – even when programmes build on existing skills and experiences, or include the development of new skills – they are not constructed in such a way as to maximise learning gain outside the class time.
- Further study is required into the impact of learning on health and the wider social and community involvement of older people in the 4th Age.
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