Institutional care ‘a last resort, not popular choice’

Interim executive director of the newly-established Social Empowerment Agency (SEA) Colleen Walcott says while they continue to have elderly people seeking institutional care and support, the majority choose to remain in their family environment.

While she could not provide exact figures, Walcott told the Saturday Sun the number of cases fluctuates.

“Sometimes the family, because they cannot cope with the burden of care, or even if they can cope, they may relinquish the responsibility to care because now they see the relative as a burden or a responsibility of the State.

“Sometimes it may be the family saying, ‘I want this person into the Geriatric Hospital’, but if the person is coherent and can make a decision, they are saying no,” she said.

Aid provided

Walcott explained that some situations arise where individuals may express a desire to enter into Geriatric Hospital care, but their case may be one where some aid can be provided in the form of services within their community.

“Some people, when you look at them, you can see that they need medical care and care dependency may be high, but they do not require institutional care. What we try to do is to make institutional care a last option and a last resort. So therefore as much as possible where there are services available in the communities, whether it’s the home care programme which assists with the activities of daily living, or we can afford them with the companion programme, they can go in and spend longer time for companionship and supervision,” she explained.

An assessment

As for the referral process for the Geriatric Hospital, the director pointed out in the first instance it may be a relative or someone in a community who would reach out identifying a person in need.

Walcott added that the SEA would do an assessment and make the referral to the Geriatric Hospital. Family would be advised to obtain a medical referral which would be sent to the social rights section of the Geriatric Hospital and a social worker would then conduct an assessment.

All decisions on admission are then taken through the Ministry of Health.

“We do see elderly people who are in need of institutional care and support, but in the grand scheme of things it will depend on the [Ministry of Health] as they are the ones who make the ultimate decisions. It depends on their waiting list and the assessment when it is done by their social worker,” she said. (JRN)

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