Abuse and neglect of older people hit the headlines following a recent Panorama programme which showed Dementia patient Maria Worroll being abused in the hands of carers.
Although the programme focussed on staff at a private care home, it has sparked much response and debate from professionals in the care and support sectors around the care of vulnerable people, especially older people.
Much of the commentary concerns what the programme didn’t cover as much as what it did.
Community Care’s blog ‘10 questions you want answered in the wake of Panorama’ is a useful summary of the key points arising. These included lack of funding, low pay, training of staff, regulation and rogue carers versus poor management.
Another useful blog, but equally raw, is by Gary Fitzgerald from Action on Elder Abuse.Gary correctly points out that the Panorama programme is misleading in so much as most elder abuse (67%) happens in people’s own homes, and not in care homes.
Former erosh director of policy, Imogen Parry, who now specialises in adult safeguarding training, said: “Sadly, this is another example that highlights the need for a more robust multi-pronged approach to tackling adult safeguarding. This includes improvements in legislation, training, criminal justice action and public awareness.
“The government needs to take action to ensure that the necessary regulation is upheld by professional bodies and action is taken where abuse is reported. We do need to bring forward adult safeguarding legislation for people and organisations to be held accountable, and to make better use of existing laws to prosecute abusers.”
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